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LESSON - 4
p10244 Social Reformist Plays
This lesson tells you all about the origin of social drama,
nationalist plays, ‘social awareness’ plays and so on.
Social plays in Tamil were produced both for staging and
study. Many changes have been effected in these plays
subsequently. Though they were meant for entertainment, they
also served to mirror the society of the time. They have been
good tools in the hands of the politicians.
Social plays in Tamil appeared towards the end of the 19th
century. As there was no competition from the radio and
television, these stage plays grew in popularity very quickly.
They were based mostly on mythological and epic stories
which the people were familiar with. Music, too, played an
important part in these plays.
Drama was considered a medium not only of entertainment
but also of education. After independence, the predominant
themes of stage plays were social problems, caste conflicts,
women’s liberation, the generation gap, unemployment,
superstitions etc.
Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar brought about significant
changes in the writing of social plays. Songs were reduced to
give way to more dialogues. The spoken idiom was used in
the place of chaste Tamil. Sambanda Mudaliar also brought
home to the artistes, the need for discipline, punctuality and
other virtues in the performance of the plays. Stage artistes
thus became the spokespersons for patriotism, courage,
sacrifice and so on. Many stage troupes appeared under the
names of Academy, Sabha, Club, Association etc. Important
among them were the T.K.S. Brothers and Seva Stage Group.
Thus, this lesson tells you all about the growth of social
reformist plays, and their role in the betterment of society.