Through the ages, the plight of the poor is a topic that has been extensively touched upon – be it via plays, dharnas staged and as part of huge political agendas. Keeping the same in mind, a group of city-based theatre artistes are all set to stage Moog Masala – a satirical comedy that sheds light on the prevalent societal discrepancies, set against the backdrop of a side-splitting plot. In a recent conversation, Lakshmi Chandrashekar, founder of Kriyative Theatre group and one of pivotal actors of the Kannada play, sheds light on the same through a deeper perspective.
“While the age-old concept of the poor being exploited isn’t alien, the play predominantly focuses on the infinite possibilities that, something as trivial, a long nose can represent and the ways in which it can impact the lives of different people,” opines Lakshmi. Keshava, the protagonist of the play is a poor village cook, who suddenly finds his nose growing to an unprecedented length overnight. Much to the dismay of his agile mother, the duo are left with no option but to sought help from the villagers who exploit the situation.
The devastating takes a rather eye-brow raising turn, when the mother decides to encash on the misery by charging people who pay a visit to meet the man and his elongated nose. Laden with hilarious instances and tongue in cheek dialogue delivery, Moog Masala promises to be a laughter riot of sorts. However, the theme is backed by a stronger message – reflecting upon the prevalent materialistic greed in the society that fails to die down. “Though the subject of the play revolves around something as trivial as the length of a visage, the underlying message shows how exploitation of the poor is still rampant, even in the contemporary world,” she reiterates.
Inspired by a series of short stories written by the popular Malayalam writer Vaikam Mohammed Bashir, the show will be staged together by five renowned theatre artistes, Laxmi Chandrashekar, Surabhi Vasist, Chandrakeerthi, Gautham Upadhya and Raghavendra.
Focusing on the perspective that the play brings about, she adds, “While we lay emphasis on the subject of a long nose, which is a rather fantastical theme; the play is a social commentary on a lot of issues that we often turn a blind eye towards. It’s more like an eye-opener that we intend the audience can go back home and ponder about, albeit with a couple of laughs, of course!”
The play will be staged at 7 pm on Sunday, May 1 at Seva Sadan Auditorium, and May 4 at 7:30 pm at Ranga Shankara.
