Painting on intricate and bright makeup, putting on glitzy costumes and entering a make-believe world to bring forgotten mythological characters to life, this is the world Surabhi Jayachandra Varma and his large family inhabited for 128 odd years till the novel coronavirus gave them a rude shock.
What couldn’t be brought to a standstill by modern cinema and grandeur was unfortunately halted due to an unseen virus. Residing in the Serilingampally area of Hyderabad are numerous theatre artists, whose main means of livelihood is to perform Surabhi theatre and keep the dying flame glowing. A century old Telugu drama troupe whose speciality lies in the special effects complete with brilliant lighting schemes and exhaustive sets, this family is used to putting on a performance every week. But since February, all they have done is live in the fear of virus and the crashing economy.
Recipient of
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva
Puraskar from Sangeet Natak Akademi and Secretary of
Sri Venkateswara Surabhi Theatre
, Jayachandra says this is like a nightmare come true for them. “With no work, nearly 30 families consisting of at least a 100 members or more have lost their livelihood overnight with no alternative,” he says, adding worriedly, “There are children and elderly in many of these families who are now deprived of basic necessities due to the pandemic.” Visual artist from Hyderabad,
Swarat Ghosh
had documented these artists a few years ago. When the photographer put out an appeal, Tollywood took notice.
Director Harish Shankar,
Rana Daggubati and producer
Shobu Yarlagadda came forward to help them with groceries and essentials. Jayachandra says, “I must thank Rana, Shobu Yarlagadda and Harish Shankar, apart from all the Hyderabadis who’ve reached out to help us during these difficult times. I need to thank Rana in particular, whom I have a close association with since his 2012 film Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum in which he played a theatre artist too.”
The theatre veteran reveals that there was a time when Rana and director Krish would come to watch their shows during the film’s shoot. “So they know how much effort we really put in this art form. Harish helped us out with groceries, Shobu Yarlagadda donated one lakh worth of groceries and Rana did the same with five lakh,” he says, adding, “I hope people realise what a dire situation this is not just for Surabhi arts, but for any kind of artist. It’s the need of the hour be it in cinema or theatre. I hope more people come forward to help us survive these trying times.”
Sravan.Vanaparthy@timesgroup.com