Augusto Creations comes up with a novel theme for its latest Tamil play Akhila Kitty
Augusto is known for his scripts based on crime, and his latest play Akhila Kitty, staged for Kartik Fine Arts' Kodai Nataka Vizha, also has crime as its theme. The titular character Akhila Kitty (Usha Nandini) is a much sought-after writer of mystery stories. Her thrillers, serialised in a magazine, boost its circulation. Unfortunately, Akhila dies before completing her latest story. The editor of the magazine hits upon an idea to shore up sales. He invites submissions to complete the story, with a prize for the best submission. There is a deluge of responses, including an AI-generated story! Vannappan's (Pothilingam) story wins the prize.
It turns out that Akhila's story was based on facts. There is a criminal at large, who has escaped the legal dragnet, thanks to a police officer who suppressed crucial evidence. Akhila had clinching proof about the criminal mastermind's modus operandi, and was going to expose him through her story, before she died mysteriously. How he is snared forms the rest of the story.
For a suspense play to be appealing, the tempo is important. Augusto Creations' Akhila Kitty had a promising start, but soon slowed down. The tenant Raju (Karthikeyan) served no purpose in the story. There could have been a lineup of suspects, all with possible motives, to keep the audience guessing till the end. Such a lineup would have been possible, if Akhila's novel had been shown as half finished, instead of nearing its conclusion. The identity of the perpetrator was revealed midway through the play, and this took the edge off the excitement. The rest of the play was a mere formality. Shakila cheerfully indulging in light-hearted banter with Vannappan, soon after her sister Akhila's death was odd. The sudden mellowing down of the villain, who had been bumping off those who were inconvenient to him, was not convincing. There were some well-written lines, for which Augusto must be complimented. The theme stood out for its novelty, but it could have been handled better.
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The Hindu
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Augusto Creations comes up with a novel theme for its latest Tamil play Akhila Kitty
Augusto is known for his scripts based on crime, and his latest play Akhila Kitty, staged for Kartik Fine Arts' Kodai Nataka Vizha, also has crime as its theme. The titular character Akhila Kitty (Usha Nandini) is a much sought-after writer of mystery stories. Her thrillers, serialised in a magazine, boost its circulation. Unfortunately, Akhila dies before completing her latest story. The editor of the magazine hits upon an idea to shore up sales. He invites submissions to complete the story, with a prize for the best submission. There is a deluge of responses, including an AI-generated story! Vannappan's (Pothilingam) story wins the prize. It turns out that Akhila's story was based on facts. There is a criminal at large, who has escaped the legal dragnet, thanks to a police officer who suppressed crucial evidence. Akhila had clinching proof about the criminal mastermind's modus operandi, and was going to expose him through her story, before she died mysteriously. How he is snared forms the rest of the story. For a suspense play to be appealing, the tempo is important. Augusto Creations' Akhila Kitty had a promising start, but soon slowed down. The tenant Raju (Karthikeyan) served no purpose in the story. There could have been a lineup of suspects, all with possible motives, to keep the audience guessing till the end. Such a lineup would have been possible, if Akhila's novel had been shown as half finished, instead of nearing its conclusion. The identity of the perpetrator was revealed midway through the play, and this took the edge off the excitement. The rest of the play was a mere formality. Shakila cheerfully indulging in light-hearted banter with Vannappan, soon after her sister Akhila's death was odd. The sudden mellowing down of the villain, who had been bumping off those who were inconvenient to him, was not convincing. There were some well-written lines, for which Augusto must be complimented. The theme stood out for its novelty, but it could have been handled better.
Hindustan Times
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As I stood and gazed at the intricate embroidery panels hung in the museum-like space, I felt as if I were in the beautiful Sittilingi Valley where these women live and work among birds, bees, trees and butterflies. (Shoba Narayan is Bengaluru-based award-winning author. She is also a freelance contributor who writes about art, food, fashion and travel for a number of publications.)
