This weekend, Chennai will witness six young men get on stage to share anecdotes from their lives; some very personal, others fictional. These are stories that will make you emotional; at other time, they will make you laugh; and some more that are bound to make you think about prejudices and taboos. Curated by Shakira Mukthar from Chennai Art Theatre, the first edition of Men’s Monologue will see each artiste getting a stage time of 10 to 15 minutes to narrate their tales. We speak to the men to get all the details.
Navaneetha Krishnan
My performance is titled Annan Evvazhi, which means ‘on the footsteps of the brother’. It is a pun on the Tamil phrase Mannan evvazhi, makkal avvazhi, which means ‘The ways of the king dictate the ways of the people’. This monologue is not entirely based on my personal real-life experiences, but rather stems from several collective stories heard from multiple sources, stitched together and presented as a coherent piece.
What does this piece mean to you?
I see theatre as a means of self-expression, a place where one can be honest and speak the truth. I wish to use this monologue as an opportunity to start a conversation about an important workplace issue that plagues not just theatre and the arts, but almost all professions.
What is the importance of Men’s Monologue?
As a society, we learn to live and grow in harmony when we hear and reflect on the stories of everyone, irrespective of race, religion, and gender. I believe the Men’s Monologue series provides a platform to discuss issues from a male point of view. While it is true that stories over decades have been predominantly told from the male perspective, the goal of this series is not to perpetuate the already existing stereotypes but rather to critically dissect and examine the male point of view, especially concerning important matters such as power structures at workplaces.
Sabarish S
This is Me is about a closeted crossdresser, who recounts his life. Essentially, he is torn between the societal norms and his originality, making him question his identity. It is a work of imagination, inspired from articles I read and stories I heard, and researched.
What does this piece mean to you?
I believe in experimenting with different stories and concepts entwined with entertainment to get the message across. Only when we showcase complicated stories, a lot of things will get normalised or at least make people think.
What is the importance of Men’s Monologue?
There are a lot of unheard stories of/about men. Sadly, we, as a society, are prejudiced. To break this, varied stories of men, considered taboo, need to be talked about.
Divagar Ravi
The title of my monologue is Aagasathin Utharavu. This piece was written by the Sahitya Akademi awardee Imayam. The story is about a thief asking permission from his beloved deity as he has to leave for his job. This play was directed by Kalaimamani Prasanna Ramaswamy.
What does this piece mean to you?
This monologue is very special because the character I play, Aagasam, is one of the most free-willed characters ever written. He has this unique sense of justice that I relate to, on a very personal note. This piece talks about many social injustices, which we can all relate to.
What is the importance of Men’s Monologue?
We have a lot of plays, musicals happening in Chennai but it is hard to find monologues. An initiative such as this is amazing as the audience will have a different experience.
Prasanna Rajaram
My monologue is titled as “funny” as it gets. It’s a play on the word ‘funny’ — what we consider to be funny; what the society considers to be funny. It was conceived along with a friend while he was narrating an ordeal to me. He started explaining his horrific experience with: ‘You know what was “funny”?’
What does this piece mean to you?
This is my first output based on years of my research — interviewing dozens of people. I am giving voice to the voiceless in this piece. So it’s a very personal and important performance for me.
What is the importance of Men’s Monologue?
I believe every voice matters. This platform is a wonderful initiative to hear about men in their own voice. Most men do not share their trials and tribulations; they end up absorbing their pains. It’s about time people heard these stories too.
Shakthi Shiva
Titled Maximus, my performance introduces a fictional character Maximus, a king, who rants about his misfortune and how he can’t control the consequences of his actions. The idea was conceived by Shyam Sundar (writer) to be performed at theatre festivals.
What does this piece mean to you?
The piece takes me back to school when we read the famous speech by Anthony, after Caesar dies.
What is the importance of Men’s Monologue?
To me, it is a platform to let artistes explore themselves in front of a live audience.
Roshan V G
Roshan’s Adventure panalam ah guy? is about a two troublesome guys embarking on an adventure, and is written by Roshan himself.
What does this piece mean to you?
This piece is very close to my heart because it’s from my own experience along with my roommate.
Tickets at Rs 300.
May 4, 5 pm.
At Medai, Alwarpet.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain