I used my popularity in cinema to promote my plays, not the other way around: S Ve Shekher

At 76, S Ve Shekher still speaks about theatre with the enthusiasm of a newcomer. Having performed in over 7,100 stage shows and acted in more than 90 films and several TV serials, the veteran, recently felicitated by Krishna Gana Sabha, reflects on a remarkable six-decade journey in Tamil entertainment...‘MY STAGE DEBUT WAS AT THE AGE OF 10’Theatre was part of Shekher’s life from childhood. His father, S V Venkataraman, ran the drama troupe Karpagam Kala Mandir. “I started out doing everything backstage — prompting, changing sets and helping with productions. My stage debut came at the age of 10 in Thuppariyum Saambu ,” he recalls. “Later, I joined V Gopalakrishnan’s troupe, and he became my guru.”THE CRAZY MOHAN YEARSA turning point came with Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam. “Crazy Mohan handed me an 800page manuscript. I edited it down to about 90 pages for a two-and-a-half-hour play,” says Shekher, adding that regular updates to the dialogue have kept it relevant.‘REACH THE AUDIENCE FIRST’Another breakthrough came with One More Exorcist, whose script was reworked overnight by Visu. “That play crossed 100 shows in no time. It taught me that if you reach the audience, the sabhas will follow,” says Shekher. The success led to Mahabharathil Mangatha , the troupe’s biggest hit. “In 90 days, we staged 112 shows. After that, we decided comedy would be our identity. ‘100 minutes, 200 laughs’ became our motto,” he says. Today, Natakhapriya has staged 24 original productions and crossed 7,100 shows.WHY THEATRE DECLINEDReflecting on Tamil theatre’s changing fortunes, Shekher says many artistes saw it as a stepping stone. “There were once over 140 sabhas and almost as many drama troupes. Then people moved to cinema and television, and theatre lost many of its practitioners,” he says.PLANNING HIS FINAL EXITToday, Shekher says he sees a little of his mentor Cho Ramaswamy in the way he wants to bring down the curtain. “My maanaseega guru Cho stepped away from theatre while he was still at his peak. I would like to do the same one day. It does get tiring, but I continue because of my troupe members. When the time comes, I will stop,” he signs off.On Nagesh...I attribute my timing in humour to Nagesh. I journeyed with him for 150 weeks for a programme on Radio Ceylon. I would record and edit his responses to questions from fans and send them to the radio station. I would observe the way he reacts and responds to questions. That helped me immensely.The troupe that began on a shipIn 1973, Shekher and veteran theatre artiste R Sundararaman (Sunda) founded Natakhapriya while returning from a tour of Singapore and Malaysia aboard the passenger liner MV Chidambaram. “Each member contributed ₹5. One of the donors was Kamal Haasan. We started the troupe at sea, but it has stayed steady ever since,” he says with a laugh. His first production, Avan Oru Thani Maram , was written by TSBK Moulee and marked Moulee’s directorial debut. It was followed by Kannamoochi , written by KK Raman. “I wasn’t even supposed to act in it. I was shy about appearing on stage. But when one of the artistes was absent, I stepped in. The rest is history,” he says.His favourite plays● Athirshtakaaran ● Yamirukka Bayamen ● Periya ThambCinema was never the destinationBut unlike many of his contemporaries, Shekher never abandoned the stage after finding success in films. “I used my popularity in cinema to promote my plays, not the other way around. That’s why I could continue performing for 50 years. I constantly fine-tuned scripts and adapted to changing audiences. I adapted myself to the audience; I never expected them to adapt to me,” he shares.S Ve Shekher’s plays that crossed 1,000 shows:● Crazy Thieves In Palavakkam ● One More Exorcist ● Mahabarathathil Mangatha ● Alwa l Periya Thambi ● A few of his other plays have crossed 500-600 showsWritten By: Praveen Kumar S