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Stage drama review:
Mama Venama Malak showcases childhood aspirations
Priyanthi MENIKE NAVARATNE- Department of Psychiatry Faculty of
Medicine Peradeniya
The Ediriweera Sarathchandra open air theatre situated at the
University of Peradeniya, also known as the wala, is not a strange place
for drama enthusiasts. Attending the annual drama festival has been a
longstanding habit of mine.
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A scene
from Mama Venama Malak |
However, on a rare occasion I decided to venture out to the Maradana
Tower Hall to see Nalaka Swarnatilaka's Mama Venama Malak. As a new
theatre production it is expected at the University, but I was very
eager to see it as earlier as I could. The reason was that I had never
personally seen a children's drama at Wala and my curiosity was to see a
different concept as well as the message of this drama.
This drama portrayed the loss of childhood that children nowadays
experience due to the extreme academic competition. Unlike traditional
fairytale or folktale thematic lines, this story portrays realistic
social norms that are not only for children. This story could be enjoyed
by teachers, parents and children alike. It is not a fictional tale,
neither is it a true story - instead it is a story of a technologically
driven society.
The main character Gimhani represents a child entrapped by the dreams
of a parent and desperately trying to seek a way out.
Her mother is reflective of a typical mother enslaved by societal
expectations and responsibilities. Kusum Renu does justice to this
character, using skilled enunciation and vocal projections as well as
expressive emotions and physical gestures and body language. Her skills
that were mastered throughout many years of her career proved to be a
combination of great artistic performance. Sanjeeva Upendra however was
unable to correctly portray the persona of a sports teacher due to his
reserved nature. Thisuri Lavanya (Gimhani) as well as other child actors
portrayed an active scene with a basketball on stage which was highly
commendable. The live performance as well as the refreshing quality of
the drama was retained from the beginning till the end by the younger
members of the cast. They were able to keep the audience captive with
facial expressions and showcased emotions.
Gimhani is a young schoolgirl who is a talented basketball player and
loves the game very much. Her mother however is against her wishes and
she is forced to play truant at school tuition classes and pursue her
true passion. This secret is discovered by her mother before long and
the conflict that ensues is not an uncommon dilemma. Her mother's main
focus is on raising her daughter according to the same value system as
herself.
Different perspectives
The response of her offspring is very different to what she expects
and the generation gap is a major factor for this. As ideas change from
one generation to the next constantly anywhere in the world, it is
something that we as parents do not pay much heed to. The director
manages to take the parents through to the other side and see the
different perspectives of the child through these every day experiences.
Therefore Mama Venama Malak is a story applicable to us all.
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Thisuri,
Kusum and Akila |
The fast moving competitive lifestyle embedded in the play is based
on a very mechanical theme. However the script does not emulate such a
crude nature, instead it is intellectually stimulating and enjoyable.
The director manages to portray the mechanical nature of a capitalist
society through Gimahani's mother. At the end of a hard day's work, she
enters the house inquiring about her children's schoolwork; this
highlights the mechanical inclinations faced by her both at work and at
home. It is not that love and affection is totally absent as there are
many sensitive moments throughout the play between the children and
mother.
Touching moment
"I go through many hardships to raise you and your brother," is a
good example of how the mother laments about her responsibilities, love
and commitment to her children.
The daughter also reflects this same sentiment when she decides to
stop basketball due to her conflicts with her mother. The reality
however is that they are both unhappy about the choices they make on a
subconscious level. As a single parent, her mother especially is trapped
in the dual role of mother and father. To suffice this role perfectly,
she can not allow her child to do as she pleases. Her fear is that her
love for sports will distract and negatively affect her school
performance. This is a common fear. It is therefore not just her
reluctance to give in to her child. Her daughter also sacrifices her own
happiness for her mother as she has no other option. She places her love
for her mother above all else like any other child and this is a
touching moment.
With respect to conflicts in the sports group, Gimhani's mother as
well as Tania play significant roles. The suspense created by these
characters is used by the director to expose another plot point of how
even Tania is a victim of this pressure, in her case by her father.
Navindu's character also portrays the isolation faced by many young
people in contemporary society. Throughout the drama, Navindu is engaged
in video games - this shows the sad plight of modern day children not
having playmates, free time or right environment. A few decades ago
children would play with children in the neighborhood after school.
However present day children are no longer at home, they are at tuition
classes instead. Through the varied characters of Tania, Navindu and
Gimhani the director forces an analytical approach in the audience
towards childhood.
Nalaka provides a passage way into viewing this sad state of our
society through Mama Venama Malak.Since the competitive education system
launched in our society, this has been the plight of our children.
Renowned artiste Somalatha Subasinghe's Vikurthi also shows the same
tragic circumstances that children face.
Peer relations
It forces the audience to put themselves in the child's shoes.
Therefore in order to truly understand the psyche of the child, the mass
importance of understanding them in order to work with them is
emphasized.
Children and parents though they cohabit in the same environment are
very different personalities. The world is enriched by the beauty of the
differences that exist within - this is the true message that the
director expresses.
This is also what parents struggle with to understand the most.
Parents find it difficult to understand this or explain. Behaviors of
Gimhani and Tania reflect this. The tendency to choose subjects they
don't like just to make parents happy is fairly common, students like
that are present in universities all over the country.
Parents are happy about this, but they are unaware of the dreams of
the children that are crushed in order to do so and this is what Nalaka
communicates through Mama Venema Malak.
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