Othello

Episodes from Shakespeare’s plays are also used to showcase the histrionic talents of Tamil actors, particularly thespian Sivaji Ganesan. The power of the bard’s language, with its poetic intensity, needed an actor who had actively engaged in stage productions and was steeped in the rich theatrical traditions of Tamil Nadu. In many of the films starring Sivaji, the play within-films technique is used to provide structural unity to the films.

Anbu

Interestingly, the killing of Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello’ was performed twice by the thespian. In ‘Anbu’ (1953), the heroine of the film Padmini suspects Sivaji of having an affair with his step-mother. In the context of such a plotline, the performance of the murder scene foreshadows Padmini’s suspicion of her lover, later on in the movie, this becomes the root cause of domestic infidelity. Here the difference from the original play is the gender reversal, for it is the woman who suspects the man.

Ratha Thilagam

Significantly, the same scene in ‘Ratha Thilagam’ is in English and was dubbed by Utpal Dutt and Jennifer Kendal. The actors on screen Sivaji and Savithri emote so well that they create the impression that they have delivered the dialogues. As the film is set in the backdrop of the Indo-China war, this scene, used as a play enacted by the characters, provides a structural unity to the main plot. Sivaji’s suspicion of Savithri as Desdemona indicates his suspicion of her as a Chinese spy. Misjudging her character, Sivaji is in a rage as he sees Savithri as a betrayer of the nation, only to understand her innocence later just like Othello realises his fatal mistake after the death of Desdemona. The suspicion of conjugal infidelity in the scene becomes the frame for suspicion of treason in the film. The Shakespearean scene, with its outrage at the betrayal of trust, serves not only to bring out the complex relationship between the characters but also reflects the moral outrage we, as a nation, felt towards the Chinese during that period.

Aadukalam

Another duo, Dhanush and Vetrimaran, Dhanush received the award for his dramatic performance as K. V. Karuppa. He is a young man caught in the unpleasant underbelly world of cockfighting in Madurai, who falls prey to the almost Shakespearean hubris of his mentor, Pettaikaran. It won six national awards including best director and best screenplay for the two-film-old Vetrimaaran and rang in the big bucks at the box office too.

Othello is one of the famous plays written by Shakespeare. Iago is furious about being overlooked for promotion and plots to take revenge against his General; Othello, the Moor of Venice. He creates a rift between two friends. He manipulates Othello into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful, stirring Othello’s jealousy. Othello allows jealousy to consume him, murders Desdemona, and then kills himself. In the film, Adukalaam, Petaikaraan cannot accept Karuppa moving forward in his life. Karuppu’s victory in the Pettaikaran cockfight raises anger in Pettaikkaran’s mind. This scene can be considered inspiration from one of Shakespeare’s Othello. Petaikkaran also creates fights between Durai and Karuppu. The slight change in this movie is, instead of Karuppa, Pettaikaran doubts his young wife, Meena.

Shakespearean themes have been used in movies since the drama moved from theatre to cinemas. For good reason too as the emotions and plot points in the Shakespearean plays are so varied and immense that they could inspire many movies.