Question

A critical analysis of the play Kelu

Answer 1

Explanation:

Critically comment on the different attitudes towards Art that the conversation between Kelu and the Poet reveals.

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2. The “mirror scene” in the play brings together reality, representations, visions, and constructed images. Explain.

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3. Attempt a critical analysis of the play Kelu.

The play Kelu dramatises the life of Vidwan P Kelu Nair, a nationalist leader who also became popular as a dramatist in Malabar under the British Raj in the early twentieth century. He was part of the nationalist movement. His plays include Padukapattabhishekam, Lankadahanam, Dhruvacharitram, Pakkanaar Charitam, and Vivekodayam. He juxtaposed mythology and the political scenarios of concurrent times. The play Kelu deals with many nuances of the art of writing. The centre of the play is at the dilemma faced by a writer who faces a writer’s block. His visualization of the characters in the play brings together the present and past generations of writers in one frame. Through the interaction, writer Balakrishnan overcomes the limitations that clutch his process of writing. The beginning of the play is a meeting where the assignment of writing the play is given to Balakrishnan.

K Madhavan, the chairman of the Vidwan P Kelu Nair Memorial Trust suggests that they should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of independence appropriately. He was speaking in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Trust. When one of the members suggested that they could enact one of the plays written by Vidwan P Kelu Nair, K Madhavan responded that more significant than his plays is the playwright himself. It is Kelu master that the new generation must know about. K Madhavan acknowledges that the present generation does not know the depth or breadth of the life of Vidwan P Kelu Nair. Balakrishnan Nambiar is chosen to write a play on Kelu Nair. Balakrishnan Nair had written a biography on Kelu previously. It is this experience that prompted the members of the committee to select Balakrishnan Nair to write a play on Kelu.

Answer 2

Answer:

The play includes the idea of writing prominently. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Indian independence, Balakrishnan Nambiar was chosen to write a play about Kelu Nair at K Madhavan's request. Previously, Balakrishnan Nair had authored a biography of Kelu. The committee members decided to commission Balakrishnan Nair to compose a play about Kelu as a result of their experience. As the writing process broke down, Balakrishnan faced his inability to finish the play. He has a hallucination in which Kelu appears to him, and they speak about the challenges of the writing process. He admits that he doesn't really know much about Kelu.

Explanation:

• The biography of Vidwan P. Kelu Nair, a nationalist figure who rose to fame as a playwright in Malabar during the British Raj at the beginning of the 20th century, is dramatised in the play Kelu. The play Kelu covers a wide range of writing-related intricacies. The conflict a writer with writer's block faces is at the heart of the play.
• The play unites writers from both the present and earlier eras in a single frame. Balakrishnan overcomes the constraints that encircle his writing process by interacting with writers from previous generations. The play starts with a meeting where Balakrishnan receives the task to write the play.
• The Vidwan P Kelu Nair Memorial Trust's chairman, K Madhavan, advises that the 50th anniversary of independence be celebrated suitably. He was speaking during the Trust's Executive Committee meeting. When one of the group members proposed they perform one of Vidwan P Kelu Nair's plays, K Madhavan retorted that the playwright himself is more important than his creations.
• The next generation needs to be aware of Kelu Master. K Madhavan admits that the current generation is unaware of the breadth and depth of Vidwan P Kelu Nair's life. A play about Kelu Nair will be written by Balakrishnan Nambiar.

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