I was initially scared to commit to Pulijanmam : Manikandan

Actor Manikandan Achari, who bagged the State award for best supporting actor in 2016 for his role as Balan in

Kammatipaadam

, played Kaari Gurukkal, the folk god of the pulayar community in the play Pulijanmam recently. The play was perfromed at CUSAT Auditorium on November 11.

The actor was seen visibly happy after enigmatically bringing alive the protagonist also known as Pulimaranja Thondachan (the great grandfather who turned into tiger). He tells us, “I haven’t worked this hard both physically and emotionally for a long time. To return to stage after four years, I had to reduce nearly 15 kg mentally and also lose a lot of emotional baggage.”

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Manikandan divulges that he found the strenuous rehearsals, “a beautiful pain”. However, he said he was hesitant to initially take up the role. “Then I felt there is no point in holding back, being scared. Pulijanmam is a tale apt for the times. The play brings forward a politics that needs to be understood by this generation. They should know how the tough path our ancestors had endured gives us the comfort we enjoy now,” he explains.


The actor also asserts that it is high time to break the hierarchies in the society that exist in the name of colour, caste, creed and gender. “I have always had that thought. I know black is not just a colour but a creed too. I want that melted and for humanity to overrule everything,” he says. “I was able to relate to every bit of the play and it has been a fabulous experience.”


The makers of the play including director Bineesh K, have just graduated from School of Drama, Thrissur. “The energy of these 22-year-old youngsters has transformed me a lot. I practised kalari and I now walk around with vitality and vigour,” Manikandan says.