Poornam Vishwanathan

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In love with grease paint

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

A stickler for perfection, Poornam Viswanathan’s passion for the stage never diminished.

MANY DIMENSIONS: Poornam Viswanathan.

A profile on Poornam Viswanathan (his 88th birthday falls on November 15) presents a difficulty. Where does one begin? Should one begin with Poornam as a newsreader of All India Radio, announcing India’s Independence? Or should one begin with Poornam as a writer? As an actor? As a director of plays? Or look at him as a human being, simple and unassuming, who preferred to travel by public transport? It should be mentioned here that he always insisted that all members of the troupe be provided the same kind of accommodation?

Perhaps Poornam, the romantic, will be apt. Poornam Viswanathan’s was a traditional, arranged marriage, and when he returned to Delhi after ‘seeing’ the girl, he sent her a telegram that said, “Returned safe, and dreaming.” In 1950, this certainly qualified to be called romantic!

While in Delhi, Poornam acted in the plays of South Indian Theatre. One of the members was music critic Subbudu. They staged many plays including Kalki’s ‘Kalvanin Kadhali’ and Devan’s ‘Gomathiyin Kadhalan.’ When Poornam was transferred to Madras in 1964, he began to act in the plays of Triplicane Fine Arts and later in those of Kala Nilayam. One of the most popular plays he acted in was Savi’s ‘Washingtonil Thirumanam.’ While in Delhi, Poornam had translated Ramesh Mehta’s Hindi play, ‘Under Secretary,’ and YGP’s UAA staged it with Jayalalitha, her mother Sandhya and Cho in the cast.

At Kala Nilayam, Poornam acted in Marina’s plays — ‘Oor Vambu,’ ‘Thani Kudithanam’ and ‘Kaal Kattu,’ and Sujatha’s ‘Oru Kolai Oru Prayaanam’ and ‘Kadavul Vandirundaar.’ Koothapiran, who played the role of Koda Naidu in Thani Kudithanam, says, “I learnt how to act only by watching Poornam.”

Forming a troupe

Scenes from Oru Kolai Oru Prayanam and Oor Vambu.

In 1979, Poornam left Kala Nilayam and started his own troupe ‘Poornam New Theater.’ Ever on the look out for fresh talent, he welcomed into his fold many youngsters.

The first play they did was Sujatha’s ‘Adimaigal.’ It was a dicey theme about a lecherous patriarch, who tyrannises his nephews. But Sujatha and Poornam handled the subject adroitly, so that there was not a trace of vulgarity in the presentation.

Baldev, who acted with Poornam in Kala Nilayam and had left when Poornam did, played the role of Sundaram, the wronged, cowardly nephew. Venu Arvind, whose real name is Tyagarajan, made his debut in this play. ‘Adimaigal’ marked the beginning of a long association between Poornam and Sujatha, who wrote a succession of plays for Poornam.

Actor Sivakumar says, “I was moved by the play Oonjal. And ‘Dr. Narendranin Vinodha Vazahakku’ was amazing.” Dr. Narendranin Vinodha Vazhakku was staged 175 times. When this writer met Sujatha a couple of years before his death, he said, “I will continue to write plays, if Poornam is willing to act.”

Poornam, was a hard taskmaster, but never failed to compliment talent. He admired troupe member Gowrishankar’s hand gestures. Poornam paid attention to every detail, so that there was never a jarring note or incongruity in any play. “He didn’t like an orchestra in the pit, and would only play taped music,” says M.B. Moorthy. “For Adimaigal, the only music he used was the veena playing of Gayatri,” says Baldev.

Poornam also had definite ideas about make-up. “For the role of Dr. Narendran, he wanted to be made up to resemble Dr. Schweitzer,” says Poornam’s daughter Uma.

Poornam would wince at the slightest mispronunciation, and during rehearsals for the play “Fifty-Fifty,” Viswanathan Ramesh had to say his lines over and over, because he seemed incapable of getting the ‘zha’ right. On the day of the show, his pronunciation was perfect.

Sense of humour

Poornam could always see the humour in a situation. Once during the staging of “Anbulla Appa,” troupe member Malathi Sampath was in the audience with her three year old niece. Poornam had just done an emotional scene, and with his hands on his cheeks, struck a note of despair with his words, “Enna Pannuvaen?” The little girl, who had been quiet until then, walked up to the aisle, put her hands on her cheeks, and in close imitation of Poornam, repeated his words! The audience burst out laughing. Malathi made a hasty exit, niece in tow. At the end of the show, she approached Poornam with an apology, but he said, “I hope this little Poornam will act in my plays, when she grows up.”

“Poornam did many one-act plays, one of which ‘Vandavan’ was enacted on the terrace in Sankara Netralaya,” recalls Baldev.

Poornam last acted in 2000, before passing on the mantle to Gurukulam, a troupe that consists of those he trained. However, he could never bring himself to say that he would no longer act in plays. Wife Susheela, who has seen every single show of Poornam’s, recalls how a few months before his death, he said to his relatives, “I’ll be doing a play soon.” That is perhaps why Susheela wanted make-up to be applied on his face as he made his last journey from home. And that was how Poornam left, with pancake on his face, in death, as in life.