We might have seen
Sarath Kumar in his many avatars on silverscreen, and now, the actor is elated that his long-pending dream of doing a stage play is coming true. Sarath Kumar will be making his
theatre
debut with ‘
Wild Tales
’, a Tanglish comedy-drama, which is a compilation of four short stories, directed by Sriram Jeevan. The actor says that he was quite impressed by the script and decided to finally make his theatre debut with this play. About his role, he says, “I play the narrator and my character will travel throughout the story.”
After playing the villain and macho hero roles, how does he find himself doing a comedy role? He laughs, and says, “I am a jovial person in life and with this play, I think, I will be able to showcase my real and lighter side to the audience. I have even given inputs for some humorous situations and punchlines in the drama, which the director has incorporated in the script.”
While Kollywood has seen many actors emerge from theatre, Sarath Kumar seems to be an exception, taking the reverse route. Quiz him about it, and he says, “It’s true that I have no theatre experience, except for having been part of some skits in school and college. But I have always been fascinated by the stage. Unlike cinema, theatre per se has not been very remunerative, and hence my focus was obviously on films. But when Varu (Varalaxmi) was part of certain theatre productions, I used to keenly observe them and have discussions on them with her. In fact, I have been planning to come up with a drama along with Radikaa. So, when this offer came I didn’t think twice before accepting it.”Sarath Kumar says that since there are no retakes on stage, he has been rehearsing for the past 10 days.
Sarath adds, “You get to know the audience’s reaction and their appreciation on the spot in theatre. I’m quite excited.”
So, does he have any apprehension? “Yes, of course. But I am doing it with a lot of passion and preparation, and I’m sure that we will put up a great show. If the audience laps it up, we plan to stage the play on multiple stages and in other towns, too.”
Emphasising that he has always been passionate about theatre and wants to see a flourishing theatre scene, Sarath says that he is into theatre only because of his passion for it. “I am seeing a lot of potential for theatre now. There is a growing audience for stand-up comedy and plays, and unlike in the past, one need not have to come up with serious stuff. I’m not here for the money. But as a politician, I see a lot of scope here — to use street theatre to promote my party and ideas. Soon, I plan to rope in five to seven members to come up with relevant street plays as a propaganda medium.”
With the #MeToo movement taking the industry by storm, what is his take on the allegations and those who have been accused by many? “Whatever the issue is, there’s got to be fear, responsibility and accountability in every citizen of the country. The #MeToo movement has created fear in the minds of perpetrators and they should be brought to book. People who are calling out the abusers should stand up, no matter when the incident might have happened. But at the same time, the veracity of the accusation should also be looked in to; it shouldn’t be used just to name and shame people,” he opines.
While some of the other film industries have come forward and formed committees to look into the allegations, what does he think about the proposed committee by the Nadigar Sangam? “Though I have been keeping a distance from the sangam’s activities, I think we should have a committee in place. Most importantly, members should feel free to approach it for grievance redressal. If you take the case of allegations against Arjun, he is a member of the sangam, and Prakash Raj, who has come in support of the actress, is an office bearer of the Producer's Council. So, instead of the issue being addressed or discussed within the ambit of the sangam, the issue is now being discussed outside of it. This is a letdown as it showcases the industry in a bad light. We have to accept that such issues exist not only in the film industry, but across sectors. Irrespective of industries, social status, and sectors, this has been happening. Our aim should be to solve the issues then and there, taking responsibility and making people accountable for their actions.”
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