With his timeless tales brought to life, Basheer takes centre-stage at AF Madras

The theatrical play organised by The Perch Collective at Alliance Française displays the vivid archive of Basheer’s literary works and his legacy.

Harini R, III BA English

A scene from “Under The Mangosteen Tree”, inspired by Basheer’s short story “Vishwavikhyathamaya Mookku” (“The World-Renowned Nose”)

26 July: Alliance Française Madras celebrated the works of renowned Malayali writer and freedom fighter Vaikom Muhammad Basheer with a vibrant play staged by the Chennai-based theatre group The Perch Collective, titled, “Under The Mangosteen Tree.” The play’s title is a reference to the mangosteen tree located in Basheer’s residence at Beypore, Kerala, inside the courtyard where he used to narrate his stories to visitors.

The production breathed life into some of Basheer’s iconic works such as Vishwavikhyathamaya Mookku, Poovan Banana, Shabdangal, his autobiographical novel Mathilukal and Neelavelicham, which was later adapted into a film titled “Bhargavi Nilayam” which is still considered a landmark in Malayalam horror cinema.

Directed by Rajiv Krishnan, Under The Mangosteen Tree, presents Basheer as both a participant and an observer, quietly weaving his tales seated on his easy chair under his mangosteen tree, listening to the gramophone and welcoming people from all walks of life to share their stories.

A powerful ensemble cast kept the audience captivated for more than two hours, with Basheer being played by the veteran theatre actor Paul Mathew, who strikingly resembles Basheer himself. The cast included Iswar Lalitha, Aparna Gopinath, Karuna Amarnath, Srikrishna Dayal, Darshana Rajendran, Dharanidharan, Maya S Krishnan, Parshathy Nath and Vinod Susheela, all of whom showcased memorable performances. The crew had capable inputs from Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy, Anand Satheendran, Sudharshan K, Anushka Meenakshi, Sachin Gurjale, Aashif, Anjana Raghavan, Aathira TN and Niren Saldanha.

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (played by Paul Mathew) addressing the audience at the beginning of the play

The Poster by Perch

“I knew so little about Basheer before I watched the play,” says Badri S, a freelance artist based in Salem: “I admired the respectful and mature portrayal of him by the cast. The play presented multiple stories within stories, including some very heavy and poignant topics, but also had enough comic relief to keep it from getting overwhelming.”

Deepak Sriram I, a literature student from University of Madras says, “it was a unique glimpse into Basheer’s creative world. It was gripping, humorous and at times philosophical to truly get to know what Basheer thought about things like war, love, politics and the supernatural.”

With their final Chennai performance wrapped up at Alliance Française on Sunday, July 27th, the group now heads to their next destination in Bengaluru at Ranga Shankara theatre, with tickets still available for the shows running from August 1-3.

Taken after the final scene, the cast of “Under The Mangosteen Tree” thank the audience.