Ms. Meena (2010)
Ms. Meena, formerly Asha, returns to her native village Pichampuram after two decades to make her final film. She is now an iconic film star. In the intervening years, Pichampuram has descended into a state of dire poverty. With news of Ms. Meena's arrival there is a new burst of energy and hope in the village and she is hailed as their saviour. Ms. Meena arrives and promises to make the villagers prosperous beyond their wildest dreams. In return, she demands a terrible price.
'Ms. Meena' is based on an original story written by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan, inspired by the classic play 'The Visit (1956)' by the Swiss-German Playwright, Friedrich Durrenmatt. In our story, we have introduced an important element namely cinema, which was absent in the original. The essential lure of cinema and its promise of untold prosperity exerts a fatal attraction on an entire village and leads them into moral and ethical compromise. The play uses a combination of laughter and pathos to seduce the viewer, much as cinema does. In the process, the distinction between the real and the reel becomes tenuous and both serve to lead the story to its inevitable end.
Ms. Meena was commissioned for The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Festival (2010) and supported by The Hindu MetroPlus, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai, Prohelvetia, Royal Sundaram, Teachers and Blaft. Ms.Meena was first performed in Bangalore in July 2010.
CREDITS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Directed by Rajiv Krishnan
Written by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan
CAST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( Note: this is a full list of actors who have performed these roles at different points in time, and not necessarily during a single performance. )
| Ms. Meena/Asha |
|
Karuna Amarnath |
| Ravi |
|
Anish Victor/Anand Sami |
| MLA Thambidorai/ Bittu |
|
Sachin Gurjale |
| Shama Shastry/Somu |
|
Anand Sami/Anish Victor |
| Teacher Amma/Reel Radhika/Mohan Raj |
|
Malavika P.C. |
| Constable/Cameraman |
|
Veeresh M.P.M. |
| S. Omanakutty/Karthika Mohan Raj |
|
Anushka Meenakshi |
| Kalyani/Madhavi |
|
Sunitha |
| Michael Chengappa /Madan/KP Sir |
|
Iswar Srikumar |
| Film Crew |
|
Cast |
CREW - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
| Additional script inputs |
|
Rajiv Krishnan, Darshan Dayal & Iswar Srikumar |
| Lighting Design |
|
John V. Mathew, Kalpana Balaji, Natesh.M & Anish Victor |
| Lighting Execution |
|
John V. Mathew & Kalpana Balaji |
| Sounds/Songs |
|
Cast |
| Props/Set |
|
Kalpana Balaji & John V. Mathew |
| Costumes |
|
Kaveri Lalchand |
| Choreography |
|
Aparna Gopinath |
IN THE PRESS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>> ’Ms.Meena: strongly recommended‘, Citizen Matters (Bangalore), 30 July 2010
>> ’Citizen Reviews of Ms. Meena‘, The Hindu (Chennai), 9 August 2010
>> ’Ms. Meena‘, Time Out Bengaluru
>> ’Citizen Reviews‘, The Hindu (Coimbatore), 13 December 2010
>> ’Chronicle of a murder foretold‘, The Hindu (Hyderabad), 17 December 2010
>> ’Ms. Meena in town‘, The Hindu (New Delhi), 20 January 2011
