Tamil Drama & Film - நாடகத் தமிழ் "படிப்பும் பேச்சும் இயற்றமிழ்! பாடும் பாட்டே இசைத்தமிழ்! நடிப்பும் கூத்தும் சேர்ந்ததே நாடகத் தமிழ் என்பார்கள். முடிக்கும் மூன்றும் முத்தமிழே! முத்தமிழ் என்பது புத்தமுதே! முடித்த வண்ணம் நம் தமிழே முத்தமிழ் என்றே சொல்வார்கள்." - Paventhar Bharathidasan On முத்தமிழ்...
Dr. C.R. Krishnamurti in Thamizh Literature Through the Ages தமிழ் இலக்கியம் - தொன்று தொட்டு இன்று வரை... Of the three divisions of Thamizh literature (முத்தமிழ்) the one which had undergone radical changes in its format and contents since ancient times is the Stage n^Atakat Thamizh,(நாடகத்தமிழ்) As in so many other facets of their literary pursuits, the ancient Thamizh people had stipulated specifications for the physical set up of the stage (அரங்கு, அவை).ThiruvaLLuvar has used the analogy of people thronging to the stage and disappearing as soon as the dance is over to emphasize the fleeting nature of wealth. கூத்தாட் டவைக்குழாத் தற்றே பெருஞ்செல்வம் போக்கு மதுவிளிந் தற்று
The stages were used for different types of dances (கூத்து)specific for the regions, e.g., Aychiyar Kuravai (ஆய்ச்சியர் குரவை) Kuravaik kUtthu (குரவைக்கூத்து), KoRRavaik (கொற்றவைக்கூத்து) The dances were, in essence an enactment of mythological legends. They were also used for conveying thanks to the deities for good rains and crops or paying homage to the valour or patronage of Kings and chieftains. iLango atikaL (இளங்கோ அடிகள்) had portrayed various kinds of dances performed in the different regions(திணை) in several chapters (அரங்கேற்று காதை, வேனிற்காதை, ஆய்ச்சியர் குரவை) The dancers for whom dancing was a hereditary avocation were called ViRaliar (விறலியர்) and KUtthar (கூத்தர்).. The singers who accompanied them were called PANar (பாணர்). Even at this early point in history, there was a distinction between the high form of dancing performed before the elites and those meant for the recreation of the rural folks (வேடுவ வரி). When the Bhakthi movement was at its peak, stories pertaining to the godheads were played on the stage. Up to the medieval period, the Thamizh stage was used mainly as a forum for dances. This tradition continued till the 18th or 19th century when dance dramas; rAma n^Atakam - (ராமநாடகம் - அருணாசலகவி, நந்தனார் சரித்திரம் - கோபாலகிருஷணபாரதியார், அழகர் குறவஞ்சி - கவிகுஞ்சர பாரதி, குற்றாலக் குறவஞ்சி - திரிகூடராசப்ப கவிராயர்) were performed on the stage. Other kinds of dance dramas included the PaLLu n^Atakam (பள்ளு நாடகம்) which is the dance drama performed by those in the agricultural sector describing themes specific to agrarian conditions e.g., MukkUdal paLLu (முக்கூடற் பள்ளு)by ennayinAp pulavar (என்னயினாப்புலவர்), n^ondip paLLu (நொண்டிப் பள்ளு)by MArimutthup pulavar (மாரிமுத்துப்புலவர்) is a humorous political satire. With the arrival of the Europeans into the subcontinent, the definition of 'stage' began to assume a different meaning. By this time, Shakespearean plays became popular throughout the English speaking world. Following this trend, Thamizh authors began to imitate English poets (Shakespeare, Sheridan) in writing plays in verses involving fictional themes and characters. Sun^tharam PiLLai's (சுந்தரம் பிள்ளை) ManOnmaNiam மனோன்மணியம் made history in this regard, though the play was difficult to enact as a play on the stage. Pammal Sampan^tha MuthaliyAr (ப.சம்பந்த முதலியார்) considered to be the doyen of the Thamizh stage, wrote the famous play, ManOharA(மனோகரா), which later appeared as a film with SivAji GanEsan (சிவாஜி கணேசன்) playing the role of ManOharan. Sampan^tha MuthaliyAr was the founder of the SuguNa VilAs Sabha (சுகுணவிலாஸசபா) which fostered the growth of the Thamizh stage in the years to come. Others who have made tremendous contributions to the Thamizh stage in recent times include: NawAb rAjamAnickam (நவாப் ராஜமாணிக்கம்). T.K.S. Brothers (டி.கே. எஸ. சகோதரர்கள்), R.S.ManOhar (ஆர்.எஸ. மனோகர்). ChO rAmasAmi (சோ ராமசாமி), K.A.ThangavElu (கே.ஏ. தங்கவேலு), SivAji GanEsan (சிவாஜி கணேசன்), and S.V.SEkhar (எஸ.வி.சேகர்). Several Shakespearean plays and Sanskrit dramas were translated into Thamizh and readers interested in additional details would find a series of very interesting articles in "The Heritage of the Thamizh people" published by the International Institute of Thamizh Studies (1983). The introduction of cinemas in the third decade of the twentieth century brought about some remarkable changes in the field of n^Atakat thamizh. Though the stage is still surviving with expositions of plays with mythological, social, historical or political themes, the films are now dominating the scene. The film industry has become one of the most powerful and influential industries in Thamizh n^Adu. Many estimates indicate that more films are made in Thamizh n^Adu than in many parts of the world. The growth of the film industry with reference to the literary contents has been reviewed (திரை வளர்ந்த விதம்). In addition to providing a huge industrial base and job opportunities to a large number of talented artists, the film has become a very powerful medium for the propagation of social, educational and political messages which the previous generations were unable to accomplish. The free flowing literary prose style introduced by C.N. aNNAthurai (அறிஞர் அண்ணாதுரை) and M. KaruNAn^ithi (கலைஞர் மு.கருணாநிதி), the brand of lyrics popularized by BhArathi DhAsan (பாரதி தாசன்) and KaNNa DhAsan (கண்ணதாசன்) aptly supported by the histrionic talents of N.S. KrishNan (என்.எஸ.கிருஷணன்), SivAji GanEsan (சிவாஜி கணேசன்) and M.G. rAmachandran (மக்கள் திலகம் எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.)and the musical expertise of (டி.எம். செளந்தரராஜன்)and P.SusIlA (பி.சுசீலா) are some of the more memorable milestones of the film industry. In order to document properly all the actors, directors, musicians, and technicians who have made significant contributions to the development of the film industry, it is necessary to devote a book exclusively for the purpose. It is gratifying to note that critical analyses of the literary style used in the mass media have been the subject of several doctoral theses in many Indian and foreign universities (ArOkian^Athan, 1982). The advent of high technological innovations, the impact of western culture and the increase in the migration of people from the rural to the urban centers are to a large extent responsible for the radical changes in the format and content in the films one encounters today. In the assimilation of these modern concepts, one would hope that our own cultural identity which has survived for centuries upto this time is not surrendered.
|