In Conversation With Theater Director Deepan Sivaraman Who Is Bringing The Legend Of Khasak To Life In Kochi

20 Apr 2017
Sunaya
Features

Khasakkinte ithihasam is as iconic as any literary work can be in Malayalam. Written over the course of 12 years and published in a serialized format, the work was ahead of its time. The story of an urban youth coming to the village of Khasak, slinking into the bubble that the village exists in. O.V.Vijayan created a set of characters that transcend time and place and which still manage to capture the hearts of a voracious reader.

When Deepan Sivaraman, the renowned theater director, scenographer and academician tried to create a version Khasak of the modern audience, it was not an easy feat. After it’s initial performance in Trikapur in 2015 for KMK Smaraka Kalasamridhi, the work gained critical and popular acclaim. Wtzupkochi caught up with the renowned theatre personality to know more about his works and his vision.

From Kerala to London, Poland and back, how has the journey been?

I was brought up in Kodagara in Trissur district. My introduction to the stage began through village association events where plays were put up. I dreamed of becoming a painter or a sculptor and applied to study that in Trivandrum and never got through. I wasn't even aware of the fact that a dedicated course for Drama Studies existed. I applied to study Drama in Trissur as my second option and graduated in the same. This later led me to Central Saint Martins in London with scholarship and so on.

You have worked with the theater scene abroad and here in India. How would you compare them?

It is not easy to compare the Indian theatre situation to the international. During my studies I traveled to Eastern Europe for pursuing my love of drama. In those countries, the modern theater has been in existence for centuries, while there has only been a modern theatre in India in the last 100 years or so. Internationally there is an existing theatre industry where recent graduates can find employment. However in India, the situation has not reached a point where theatre artists can make it their sole profession to live off of.

Khasakkinte Ithihasam is an iconic Malayalam work. How did you go about adapting it for the stage?

I've previously worked with adapting classics for the stage and one has to ensure that the essence of the work is retained when it is adapted for the stage. For Khasak the play, the adaptation focuses on the village of Khasak rather than on the protagonist Ravi. While he is a main character, Khasak is a village that was in already existence and Ravi is just one person who comes into it.