In Kattale Belaku, a renowned playwright does not wish to write anymore. No amount of coaxing seems to be able to convince him to pen his next play because he believes that nothing inspires him anymore. Directed by Prasanna Kasthuri, this play, with has an impeccable comic timing and strong performance will keep the audience engaged throughout.
So, a producer and a manager from a theatre company set out to cajole the defeated playwright to write a play for them. In order to fuel his creative mind, they suggest multiple scenarios that could work as a prospective plot for the play: a married woman who runs away with her lover, an unsatisfied young woman wishing to murder her own aged husband for love, a couple who contemplate suicide after being thrown out of the house by their parents etc. What is remarkable is that as and when these story ideas are described to the playwright, the same scenes take place around his house.
Are these characters actually real people and is the playwright oblivious to the world around him? Will he be inspired if he just observes people around him? Or, are the characters in real life inspired from those in novels, crime sagas and epics? Should the playwright instead, look for an idea within the literary ambit?
The play does not believe in providing answers to these questions. In fact, towards the end of the play, the playwright is heard saying that he will not write until he is truly inspired. So, in a sense, the play does not resolve his search for a muse. This is the beauty of Sri Ranga’s text and Kattale Belaku brings it out well.
(Text inspired by Archana Nathan's writing in Hindu newspaper)