Surprise Present

Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards 2013 threw up some unexpected winners

Whats an award ceremony without some drama? The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) at Taj Mahal Hotel on Saturday began to twist the script quite early. The first award of the evening,for Best Innovative Sound Design,went to a strong contender Claudio Clavija for After the Silence,a play that conflates powerful music with physical actions and dream sequences. After Clavija,wearing headphones around his neck,carried back the trophy to his cheering troupe (Sadhana – Center for Creative Practice from Thrissur),it was time for the Best Lighting Director award. Four plays had been nominated in this category and After the Silence was not among these. So,the announcement came as a surprise Shaji Surendranath from After The Silence. Ironically,Surendranath wasnt even present at the ceremony. Another winner who was missing was Bhavna Pani of So Many Socks. Though absent from the Best Supporting Actor nomination,she was declared winner. Her phones switched off, said a desperate Quasar Padamsee,director of So Many Socks,as he received Panis award. Reuben Paul Nathanel P (Mirugavidushagam) and Neela (Matte Eklavya) tied for the Best Costume Design award that neither had been nominated for. Yashvant from Matte Eklavya accompanied his nominated co-star Chidambara Poojari in a tied award for Best Supporting Actor (Male). Yashvant thought I was joking. I had to scold him to make him believe that he had won, said Satyabrata Rout,director of Matte Eklavya.

As the ceremony unfolded,it was clear that the jury had looked beyond the nominations to declare winners. The selection committee makes its recommendations based on DVDs and sometimes the live performance is more zabardast . The jury has the right to declare a winner they think fit even if the person hasnt been nominated, says Ravi Dubey,creative director of META.

There were other elements,too,to keep the audience in a grip from tongue-tied winners to eloquent ones,from tearful acceptance speeches to bursts of Malayalam and Kannada,from lavish Thank Yous to simple expressions of joy. Rout clutched his Best Director award and said,Five years ago,I had left Delhi because I felt politically demoralised. I am not a Hindi-speaking person and could not work properly here. It was during my travels that I came across the tribal people on the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border and started working with them. His play Matte Eklavya revisits the story of Eklavya from the Mahabharata. The biggest award of the evening,for Best Play,went to a story on Kashmir Gasha by the Bangalore-based Indian Ensemble.

There was a moment of silence and awe too. Theatre doyen Ebrahim Alkazi was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award. His daughter,National School of Drama chairperson,Amal Allana choked as she said,I have never accepted an award on his behalf before. This is more than a National Award because it has been given by his theatre fraternity. It comes from the heart.

WINNERS ALL

Best Play

Gasha

Best Director

Satyabrata Rout (Matte Eklavya)

Best Original Script

Iravati Karnik (Gasha)

Best Costume Design

Reuben Paul Nathanel P

(Mirugavidushagam ) and Neela (Matte Eklavya )

Best Innovative Sound Design

Claudio Clavija (After The Silence)