Aiming to shed light on the forgotten chapter of Indian history about our freedom fighters like Maruthu Pandiyars, Velu Nachiyar and Oomaithurai, Kalaimamani Madurai R Muralidharan has come up with a dance-theatre production, Marudhiruvar.
Muralidharan is known for his productions on ancient stories. “Though I have done 25 productions on ancient tales, I always wanted to delve into historical production. We studied history in our schools, which failed to provide us with an in depth narrative.
I was captivated by these inspiring stories of our own kings and queens after hearing the same from my father in childhood,” he adds.
He has been working on this production in the past year to present it on a large scale. Marudhiruvar becomes more than a performance; it is an act of remembrance, restoring dignity and voice to revolutionaries whose stories deserve to be seen, felt and remembered.
Adding to the fervour of delving deep into the hidden truth about our kings and with the goal of presenting it as authentically as possible, Muralidharan opted for live-sized horses and cows.
The team sought the assistance of film stunt choreographers to perfect the nuances of action sequences.
Around 70 dancers will be performing for Marudhiruvar. “We tried to elevate the quality of production with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
For the Arcot Nawab sequence, there will be a Mughal setup, and there will be a Kathak sequence when Hyder Ali meets Velu Nachiyar,” he shares.
When asked if his creative flow was hindered while presenting a historical piece, Muralidharan quickly says, “Not at all. I just went with the flow, and my goal is to showcase facts accurately. I shaped my creativity in line with that.”
Marudhiruvar, a dance musical directed by Muralidharan with Kavya Muralidharan and Chithra Muralidharan, assisting with choreography and direction, will be staged on February 7 at 6 pm, at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall. To book tickets, head to the MDnD website.