How the multifaceted S.D. Sundaram changed the course of Tamil theatre

A protégé of Nawab Rajamanickam Pillai, S.D. Sundaram came up with plays that were successful and ahead of their times in technique.

Tamil theatre’s history is delightful with many stalwarts having created works that have stood the test of time and inspired generations of actors and directors. Today when established and amateur troupes are experimenting with new subjects on stage, it would be a good idea to recall how some yesteryear theatre personalities thought ahead of time. One such was S.D. Sundaram (1921-1979).

One of Tamil stage’s prominent playwrights in the mid-20th century, Sundaram was born in Athur near Salem. He entered theatre at an early age, joining Nawab Rajamanickam Pillai’s drama troupe Madurai Devi Bala Vinodha Sangeetha Sabha around 1933. Seeing his interest and proficiency in Tamil literature’s great works such as Athichuvadi, Kondrai Vendhan and the Tiruvarutpa, Rajamanickam Pillai encouraged him to pursue his Vidwan course, which Sundaram passed with flying colours.

In 1942, Sundaram was imprisoned in Tanjore for nine months for his participation in the freedom movement. Once out of jail, he rejoined Nawab Rajamanickam Pillai’s troupe, only to branch out on his own a little while later. In 1944, with the blessings of his guru, Sundaram and another youngster from the troupe, T.K. Thangavelu (better known in the world of theatre and cinema as T.K. Krishnaswamy), left Madurai Devi Bala Vinodha Sangeetha Sabha to launch Sakthi Nataka Sabha. Their first production was Kaviyin Kanavu, written by Sundaram himself.

A star studded-cast which included the likes of M.N. Nambiar (who also traced his dramatic lineage to Nawab Rajamanickam Pillai’s drama troupe) as the Rajaguru and S.V. Subbaiah as the poet enhanced the play’s appeal with their performances. The play was premiered in 1944, a review that appeared in 1945 shows that it was ahead of its time in terms of adopting new techniques and technology in the presentation of the play. For starters, it had just one song, unheard of in an era when songs were still an integral part of stage plays. Secondly, it made use of electric lights to good effect. Another aspect was the design of the stage itself. Two pillars were set in the middle of the stage and were moved to either the left or the right, depending on the requirement of a particular scene. It also used slide projections to introduce the cast and crew of the play. The Rajaguru was introduced using the shadow technique.

The play was infused with strong political views of the poet, seeking to free his motherland from the clutches of the villain (from a foreign power). A play called ‘Kanavu’ set within this play instilled a sense of patriotism in the poet’s countrymen. It spoke of his dream of a poverty-free, equal society. Coming as it did on the throes of our country’s independence, the play was a stupendous success.

Noted playwright-poet Bharatidasan who presided over a performance at Dindigul spoke in glowing terms about the actors’ performances. The play proved a turning point in the Nambiar’s and Subbaiah’s careers. Somasundaram of Jupiter Pictures, who was impressed by their performances hired them on contract for his production house. When Nambiar could not continue performing the play on account of his increasing movie commitments, the mantle fell on a youngster who would go on to become one of Tamil cinema’s prominent lyricists, albeit briefly, Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram.

Sundaram went on to author plays such as En Kadhai, Aravindar and Nam Thai. He was also a dialogue writer for several successful films such as Ondre Kulam, Mohini MGR was paired with V.N. Janaki for the first time) and Kappalottiya Tamizhan. In 1973, he wrote a play titled Veera Sudhandhiram, to mark the silver jubilee of Indian Independence. It was inaugurated at the centenary celebrations of theatre legend Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar that year, starring several film stars such as R. Muthuraman, T.K. Bhagavathi, T.R. Ramachandran, V.S. Raghavan and others.