Na Muthuswamy, founder of Koothu-p-pattarai and the pioneer of the alternative theatre movement in Chennai, died earlier today. He was 82.
Born in Punjai in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, Na Muthuswamy moved to Chennai in the seventies. He created ‘Kalam Kalaimamani’, celebrated by many as the first modern play to emerge from Tamil theatre. For his contribution to theatre, Na Muthuswamy was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1999. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2012.
Muthuswamy was an indelible part of Chennai’s theatre scene, having helped establish Koothu-p-pattarai in 1977 in the city to train actors as well as revive old art forms of Tamil Nadu. A keen performer of the therukoothu himself, Muthuswamy spent over three decades nurturing talent. His disciples like Vijay Sethupathi, Vimal, Kalairani went on to become very popular in Tamil cinema. Muthuswamy, however, made his acting debut only in 2008 despite being a popular face in the Chennai theatre community.
When asked about his late debut at an event in 2015, Muthuswamy told Silverscreen, “It is not for want of opportunities that I’ve never acted before. It was because I did not have the time. I could not find the time to devote to someone else’s story. I was busy writing mine. Or readying young actors to fit into others’ stories.”
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Under his direction, Koothu-p-pattarai staged many plays such as ‘England’, ‘Appavum Pillaiyum’, ‘Six Characters In Search Of An Author’ and ‘Macbeth’ among others. Something that troubled Muthuswamy was the decrease in audience numbers for plays. He said that this was due to the fact that the public perceived theatre as entertainment. “Here, theatre is not considered an art form but only mere entertainment. Television, video and now the computer — all these affect audiences for the theatre.”
The family of Na Muthuswamy has chosen not to release the details of his passing. A spokesperson said that Na Muthuswamy’s mortal remains would be kept at his Virugambakkam home for everyone to pay their respects. Later, he will be taken to Koothu-p-pattarai, the spokesperson added.