‘Mathilukalkkappuram’, premiered in the US, celebrates the life and creativity of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

There was Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, smoking a beedi and sitting in his armchair beneath the shade of the mangosteen tree. The iconic image of Malayalam literature’s beloved writer, often called the Beypore Sultan, was recreated in the US during a play Mathilukalkkappuram, which was premiered in New Jersey. It was a poem ‘Soja Rajakumari’, which was written during the days following Basheer’s passing, which Kurup sir had recited in his own voice,” explains Pramod. “As Saigal’s sonorous ‘Soja Rajakumari’ filled the air, the audience saw Basheer in prison, even as his favourite song plays on the radio. Towards the end of the nearly 90-minute play, we also witness a lonely Narayani waiting for Basheer and his soulful words to her,” says Pramod.