Review by "Indian Express"

A dream of four womenThursday October 18 2007 13:23 IST
Saranya Chakrapani

IT all began when Mangai and four young women- Revathi, Kalpana, Ponni and Kavinmalar came across this idea which instigated such passion in them that they decided to give life to it. When it finally happened, they called it Kalak Kanavu or ?A Dream of Time?.

The play Kalak Kanavu scripted in Tamil, draws some strong instances from the feminist history in Tamil Nadu that are either not known or have been forgotten.

Written by feminist, historian V.Geetha and directed by A. Mangai, who runs the feminist theatre initiative, Marappachi, this 75 minute docudrama throws light on moments from modern history that show women in public life or thinking of being part of something beyond family and domesticity.

It touches on the nationalist movement, the Devadasi debate, the coming of Christianity to Tamil Nadu and changes in women?s status, on unknown Muslim women?s voices and finally on the women in the self-respect movement.

'Every time we talk about Tamil culture, with instances like the controversy over actress Khushboo's remarks, it is popularly concluded that Chennai is conservative and so are its women. I wanted to inform people that rebellious women have always been a part of Tamilian culture and the notion that exists today is wrong.' says Mangai.

Actors Revathi, Kalpana, Ponni and Kavinmalar put forward a power packed performance, with perfection on details of history, dates and most importantly the role of music. The play revolves around those women who broke the clich鳠that surrounded womanhood and dared to explore beyond the four walls with aspects like education, marriage, family, art and politics.

It comprises excerpts from letters, diaries, speeches and writings of women who were keenly engaged with the world of politics and social change like Subhalakshmi, Ramamrudam, Muthulakshmi and Sundarambal to name some. It unfolds as a series of episodes that are thematically linked and which illuminate each other. It also emphasizes the role of Periyar and the turning point it created in the feminism battle.

The play was performed at the Queen Mary?s College on October 13, 2007.