Artistry of portrayals

Devi Jerina, who has abundantly contributed to movies, television, and stageplays, talks about her mastery over dubbing, acting, and production

-  KV VASUDEVAN

VERSATILITY may well be the middle name of Devi Jerina, who for over three decades, had taken a sabbatical from the Tamil stage.

The cheerful news for her die-hard fans is that of her returnworking on the project Kaikeyi.

Over 8,000 stage shows, rubbing shoulders with stalwarts SV Ramadas, RS Manohar, SA Ashokan, Jaishankar, Vijayapuri Anandan, and their ilk, this dubbing artiste in movies had left an indelible mark in television and movies. According to noted playwright KP Arivanandam, the plays penned by whom she has been a part of including Ambayin Sabatham, Rani Mangamma, Velu Nachiar, Karaikal Ammaiyar, and Mangaiyarkarasi Devi's strength was in the voice modulation and in her ability to slip into any character.

An hour-long chat with the actress brought to light the most meaningful phase of her stage career which hit a new high in the last decade.

A trove of characters Her personal best was Karaikal Ammaiyar, which found a repeat audience not just in Chennai but wherever it was staged all over Tamil Nadu. On the special bond she had with the audience, Devi said it was in the way the character of Punithavadi was portrayed. She says, "Such was the feeling of Punithavadi to Shiva that the lord saw a divine form in her. The lord invites her to Thiruvalagandu to keep up his promise of performing the Siva Thandavam.

The song was the showpiece of the play where a range of pambai and udukai was brought to the fore. The audience was captivated and the breathtaking finale found a prominent place in the media reviews.

Those days, it really mattered as print media was the only source of communication between the artistes and the lovers of theatre." In Mangaiyarkarasi, she had the onerous task of converting her husband from Samana Madam to Saivam. Devi says, "When holy water was sprinkled on the individual, the song Mandiramavadu Neru, Vavaiyar Povadhu Neeru did wonders in the way it was received by a spellbound audience.