Mayachangili: A Tamil play on corruption struggles to sustain its impact

In a system riddled with corruption, an honest officer is inevitably the odd man out. This premise drives Brahma Fine Arts’ Mayachangili, written and directed by K. Prakash.

Arun (K. Prakash) is an honest police officer, whose superior, Pradeep, is a man after his own heart. Arun pursues valuable leads which help him unravel a drug trafficking network. But when Arun is on the verge of discovering the mastermind, Pradeep vanishes. K.D. Keppamma, who replaces him, begins to harass Arun, who turns to alcohol and eventually dies of depression.. His wife Usha, files a complaint against Keppamma, and the case goes to court. While the defence argues that Arun’s death was due to natural causes, the prosecution contends that subjecting a man to constant pressure, frivolous demands and verbal abuse amounts to torture, which can lead to death.

The play has a god-man curing Arun’s son, Krishna, of aphasia and paralysis, perhaps to please those who believe in miracle cures. The play loses grip on its central theme as the playwright tries to pander to different segments of the audience. The attempt to fuse together a social narrative with a sub-text on piety robs the play of the tautness needed to propel the story forward

When a senior officer like Pradeep goes missing, wouldn’t an investigation have begun immediately, notwithstanding a corrupt system? Wouldn’t something like this have grabbed the media’s attention? This is a significant and logical lapse in the script. Keppamma’s vitriolic remarks against Arun are exaggerated, and Lakshmi goes overboard in her portrayal of Keppamma. Dwijesh Prakash, as Krishna, shows considerable promise, while Usha Nandini delivers a compelling performance as Arun’s wife, Usha.

Theatre can serve as a mirror to social ills such as corruption, and a play that takes on corruption in high places is welcome. However, the script needs to worked upon further to make the narrative more convincing and nuanced.