PMG Mayurapirya’s Big Boss highlights a teacher’s ‘Centum’ fixation

A scene from Big Boss, staged by PMG Mayurapriya.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Is there only one route to success — a degree in Engineering at a premier institute? And even assuming the answer is yes, what is the price one pays for this? These are among the many questions PMG Mayurapriya’s latest play Big Boss (story, dialogues, direction P. Muthukumaran) raises about the education scenario. The play was staged recently for Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha.

Centum Sethuraman (Ganapathy Shankar) runs an academy, where only bright students are admitted. He puts them through rigorous schedules and gloats when his students score centum in the board exams. His wife Sowmya (Anu Suresh) tries to din some sense into him, pointing out that the world operates based on the law of averages. Superlative students are few in number, as are the ones who score very poorly. Most fall in between and can be helped to improve their scores. But Sethuraman refuses to get rid of his centum fixation. His teacher Shivasubramaniam (V.P.S. Shriraman ) reminds Sethuraman that he himself had never been a great student, and that many mediocre students had found their niche. Moreover, helping a smart student score a centum was no big deal. Such students needed only a nudge. What was important was giving the average student a push, argues Shivasubramaniam. Initially, Sethuraman ignores Shivasubramaniam’s advice. But the death of Shivasubramaniam brings about a change of heart in him, and he decides to teach the son of a labourer and an unruly boy who has played truant often.

From the play Big Boss, which won the Best Play award in Kodai Nataka Vizha 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Four students are told to stay in Sethuraman’s house, and are cut off from the outside world. The exam results are a credit to Sethuraman. Sethuraman is given the Big Boss title, because he had kept the students sequestered, like the participants in the popular TV show Bigg Boss. This portion seemed contrived, as if it had been introduced to justify the title.

While the dialogues were well-written, some pruning is needed to make the script taut. The set was just right without being fussy. S. Aditya, G. Shiva Shankar, Dhiraj C. Mohan and S. Ananth as the students, were full of beans.

This play won the Best Play award and four more awards at the Kodai Nataka Vizha of Kartik Fine Arts this year. The rolling trophy newly instituted by Ramkumar Ganesan, son of Sivaji Ganesan, is going to be awarded to the Mayurapriya team for all round performance.