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Actor playwright T.V. Varadharajen, Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, and journalist and art crititc V. Srinivasan (VSV) have collaborated to creatively put together the musical that is two hours and 10 minutes long | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The stories of how composers Saint Thyagaraja saw Lord Rama, Shyama Sastri sang in Manipravalam, and Muthuswamy Dikshitar wrote the nottu swaras influenced by Western notes will soon come alive on stage in the drama-music-dance production titled ‘Sangeetha Mummoorthigal’.
Actor playwright T.V. Varadharajen, Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, and journalist and art crititc V. Srinivasan (VSV) have collaborated to creatively put together the musical that is two hours and 10 minutes long. The trio has reunited again after the success of the play ‘Sri Thyagarajar’, which is VSV’s first drama that has had 180 shows to date.
“This is the second time that I am working with this team. I had written the stories of the Trinity separately, as a series. I gave them the idea, Varadharajan then collected more details, and he, along with C.V. Chandramohan, wrote the script. We hope the audience will enjoy this play as much as they did ‘Sri Thyagarajar’,” said Mr. Srinivasan, who added that musician Amrit Ramnath, too, has sung a song for the play.
“It is not a biopic of the Carnatic trinity; it is the story of how the three of them lived at the same time and interacted with one another. They discussed ragas, learnt things from each other, and even collaborated to finish a song that was partially written by Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s father. Shyama Sastri’s son learnt from all three composers. There is even a dance sequence,” explained Mr. Varadharajen, who dons the role of Shyama Sastri in the play. Dance guru Balagurunathan of Kalakshetra is acting as Saint Thyagaraja and actor Culcutta Ramesh is performing the role of Dikshitar.
Vocalists N. Vijay Siva, Sriram Parasuram, Sikkil Gurucharan, Ramakrishnan Murthy, Bharat Sundar, and Sandeep Narayan are among those who have lent their voices.
“The songs were recorded over a period of 15 days in marathon sessions. The artistes did not stop until they felt they were perfect. On some days, the recordings went on till 11 p.m.,” Mr. Varadharajen said. “To my knowledge, this is the first time a drama on the Sangeetha Mummorthigal is being made. It was with the blessings of my gurus and the Trinity that I was able to work with over 20 wonderful musicians who gave me their schedule and time during peak concert season and sang the compositions so beautifully, so sincerely,” said Ms. Ramnath, who has also sung a song for the play.
The play will premiere on January 9 at Vani Mahal as part of Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha’s 80th year celebration. The second show is on January 11 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for Kartik Fine Arts.
Published - January 05, 2026 06:57 pm IST
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