 French experiment with Asterix & Obelix
 The gathering at the Top Storey, Alliance Francaise, was eagerly awaiting the commencement of the French play, by Indians. The curtains raised, everyone in the crowd was surprised to see Tamil-speaking Shiva and Parvathy, the Hindu mythology God and Goddess, followed by
Naradha (who, according to mythology, often creates problems between the demons and the gods), introduce the play in Tamil. This helped the audience, those not familiar with the French language, understand the play better.
The play narrates the interesting part of Obelix, who falls in love with Falballa but she breaks his heart when she gets a message from her fiance Tragicomix, who is forced to join Caesar and will not be freed unless Asterix and Obelix surrender to Caesar.
In between the scenes, the presence of Naradha (played by Baskaran), who explains what happened in the previous scenes, brought out the creativity of the director. The humourous Tamil epithets used made the audience roar with laughter.
Every actor lived to his or her role, but Sandhan, who played Obelix was exceptional - especially the body language.
The combo of Asterix and Obelix (Asterix payed by Hemanth) was a treat to watch. The performance and the dialogue delivery showed the actors' interest in the language, with even the few hitches not causing an adverse effect.
The other main characters were Panaramix (played by Jeyanth) Assurancetourix (by Prasana), Falballa (by Rathi) - all of them doing well under Albert Uderzo's creation.
One of the Caesar’s legionnaires (played by Madavan) had the audience in splits with his apt, innocent looks.
The sound and light arrangement also played an important role. After every scene, an active role was played by the enthusiastic back stage team and also by the actors themselves for the next scene. The changes were made in a swift and efficient manner.
The appropriate make-up and the costumes were an added advantage to the play. Jawaharlal, the director of the play, has yet again proved his worth in every scene and its continuity. This is his fifth play. On the whole, it was a group activity with a brilliant display of talents.
Subha M
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