In the beginning there were several scripts; in the end, Kalumaali
Kalumaali is a girl born in a mythical land, blessed by angels.Kalumaali is a little ant, constantly in fear of being trod upon by those more powerful. Kalumaali is a little girl whose dream destination is blocked by the responsibilities and barriers of her home.Kalumaali is many things, yet at heart a fairytale. A fairytale for grown-ups; an expression of their hopes, fears and frustrations. A plea for attention by those very grown ups themselves, if you may.
Fraught relationships: Left to right, Peter d’Almeida (Kalana), Shelina Muthumudalige (Saki), Lakmini Seneviratne (Dil), Kaushalya Fernando (Gedara-Achchi). Pix by Susantha Liyanawatte
When playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera approached 13 women of the theatre around 18 months ago, asking them to look at motherhood through the lens of theatre, they jumped at the opportunity. Over the past year, they have performed a series of writing tasks that have had them baring their souls about the responsibility of being a mother, and in the process, losing themselves. The end result? A 300-page manuscript in both English and Sinhala. Kalumaali is born off just one page of that manuscript, the figment of imagination of an anonymous writer. Ruwanthie and Nadee Kammallaweera sat down together to turn that idea into a full transcript for a play and ‘Kalumaali: a fairytale for grown-ups’ was ready to fall into the hands of its interpreters-the actors themselves.
The protagonist of the story is little Saki, who loves nothing more than to listen to the story of Kalumaali. It’s not just that she loves the story, like any other little girl would-her favourite thing about Kalumaali is the very different interpretations of the story the adults around her relate.
For example there’s Film Achchi (played by Iranganie Serasinghe, making a much celebrated comeback to the stage after a hiatus of many years). Film Achchi’s version of the story involves gifts from angels and much magic, and this is Saki’s favourite. Then there’s Gedara-Achchi, whose tale of Kalumaali turning into an ant and the many trials she faces keeps Saki at the edge of her seat. Ammi’s Kalumaali story is a little melancholy, but Saki loves that story too.Kalumaali is the medium that the Director uses to bring out her main characters’ personalities. Their hopes, fears and frustrations with everyday life are in their retelling of the story. The complex relationships and interplay between these adults are revealed during the course of the play, and it’s anybody’s guess how their lives will turn out at the end. After all, this isn’t your average fairytale, and they aren’t your average cast and crew.
Ruwanthie, who directs the play with her customary aplomb, is one of Sri Lanka’s leading theatre personalities. Her plays have been produced in Sri Lanka, the UK, Japan, India, Australia and the Philippines. Her first screenplay Machan won several awards internationally, and was made into a critically-acclaimed film. The original manuscript that Kalumaali was taken from is more a critique of motherhood than anything else, she says. It’s quite natural then, that much of Kalumaali deals with Saki’s mother Dil and her discontent with a life that she feels has stripped her of her personality. Her relationship with her husband Kalana, her mother and her mother-in-law are both complex and intriguing.
Welcome return to the stage: Iranganie Serasinghe
Lakmini Seneviratne who plays Dil in the English version of the play says that it is both humbling and satisfying to be talking about this topic and its challenges. “It’s actually a privilege to be involved with this play. I’m not a mother myself, but as a sister and aunt I’ve been there-I can relate to Dil. To play this for the public and to make them really think about bringing up children in Sri Lanka is an amazing thing.”
Peter d’Almeida plays Kalana, Dil’s happy-go-lucky husband whose one philosophy in life is to be happy no matter what.
“His attitude is hacking away at his marriage, but he fails to realise it,” he explains. “Kalana is your typical man. He loves his family, but believes that it’s Dil’s job to bring their daughter up.”
His mother, played by Kaushalya Fernando, agrees with this reasoning. “And in her way of thinking, it’s quite reasonable,” says the actress. “Kalana’s mother was brought up to think in that way and she can’t understand why Dil can’t just accept her role as a woman and be happy with what she has.
”For veteran actress Iranganie Serasinghe, it’s a novel experience working with Ruwanthie and her progressive approach to directing. “It was quite frightening at first!” laughs the grand dame of the theatre and silver screen. “But I must say that it’s a great thing to be part of this play and the message we’re trying to give out to society. Too many women lose themselves in motherhood and the guilt that comes with trying to balance it with work. I think it’s about time that stopped.”
‘Kalumaali: a fairytale for grown ups’ will be staged at the Lionel Wendt -in English on Thursday, September 13 and Sunday, 16th and in Sinhala on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, 15. Tickets are available at the Lionel Wendt.
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