November 17, 2008
Devadas Kapikad is a household name in Dakshina Kannada district. His name spells magic and brings smile on the lips of the theatre'savvy citizens of the district. . He is a dramatist, actor and director par excellence and therefore, an institution unto himself.. The ease with which he becomes one with the role he dons, his acting prowess and the sense of timing in delivering punch lines., have earned him the title 'Dialogue King' from his fans. Because of him, those who were never interested in Tulu dramas, started thronging the theatre. If Kapikad is there in the play, the audience are sure of getting more than their money's worth.
'Bale Chaa Parka,' the first play he authored and acted in, is making waves even now, after so many years since it was first staged. With him, Tulu theatre has grown and matured. Kapikad is on the threshold of adding another feather to his cap, that of acting in a Kannada movie. When asked as to why it took him so many years to act in films, Devadas smilingly says, that he received several offers from the movie makers in the past, but was too busy with plays to accept any such offers.
He did not want to set aside several days at a stretch for shooting, out of his busy schedule in the Tulu theatre. On one occasion, Kapikad recollects, that he was offered a huge sum of money with a request to make a film, but had politely turned down the offer. "Some day, I will make a film for that man, who returned unhappy after I rejected the officer. I feel guilty about it," he confesses.
Even though Devadas Kapikad belongs to a family which is originally from Kapikad in Bejai Mangalore, he was born and brought up in a village near Bantwal. Like any other kid, he too was attracted by the plays he saw as a young boy and wanted to be a part of this performing art. Unlike others, he sustained his interest and succeeded in realising his dream.
Kapikad recollects, that he was very naughty when young and used to cut jokes in classes and made his class mates laugh. "There were instances in which my class mates were thrown out of the class because they were laughing, but I never got caught," Kapikad admits now, albeit candidly. His nature to see vagaries of life and day-to-day happenings in lighter perspective, have helped him enormously in facing challenges the life threw at him later in life.
Devadas had written a play when he was a college student and had presented it. It drew lot of acclaim. He later shot to fame with 'Bale Chaa Parka,' a landmark in Tulu theatre. His later plays that made a mark include 'Gantetand,' 'Eer Doora?', 'Pudar Deetiji,' 'Nikulu Materla Ullaratta,' 'Dever Nadappuver,' 'Dever Deelekkapund,' 'Yaan Ori Baroliya,', 'Bolli,', 'Babu,' 'Telipandinaklu Telipule,' etc., All the 40 plays he authored basically were aimed at making people happy. Kapikad has made people forget their worries and laugh heartily and taught them to laugh at themselves, in addition to taking life lightly.
"I strongly believe, that those involved with the theatre should be able to earn enough through their art, to lead a decent and honourable life. Many people take acting or writing as a hobby, besides their regular employment. But, for those who dedicate their lives for the sake of theatre, their hard work shouldl never go unrewarded," Devadas Kapikad feels strongly. He proudly points out, that all the 28 people involved with his 'Bale Chaa Parka' have become financially stable and a few of them have also built houses of their own.
Kapikad does not forget to add that his wife Sharmila has been a pillar of strength and inspiration for his endeavours. She knows his strengths and is confident that one day, he will produce a film of his own and act in a leading role.
Asked about his foray into Kannada cinema, Kapikad says he was very much attracted by the cinema, in fact even before he was mesmerised by the theatre. Speaking about the role he has now accepted after carefully scrutinizing the script, Kapikad explains, that he will be in the role of a police constable in the movie,' Venkata in Sankata', while Ramesh, director of the film, will be his superior. Ramesh wants to get promotions and works towards it. But, whatever he does goes astray and the constable gets promotions. Kapikad expects the movie to be popular because of its pure entertainment value and smooth story line.
Devadas is very appreciate of director Ramesh, who he says, is always in good mood, respects his colleagues and inspires others to give their best. Asked about his experience in front of the camera, Kapikad says that he did not feel any nervousness as he had enough experience of acting in front of the audience.
"I will never desert the theatre, it is my first love," declares Devadas Kapikad. He also says, that he will accept future roles if there are good offers. "Maintaining a balance between the two fields is a challenge and I love challenges," he says. About his prospects of writing scripts for movies, he reveals, that efforts are currently on to make a movie out of one of his plays. "I want to settle down as an actor first, before taking up other activities in the cine world," he emphasizes.
The audience of the district have enjoyed Devadas Kapikad's scripts, dialogue delivery and acting. There is no doubt that they will love him as a cine actor. They would be sincerely wishing, that the actor-dramatist-director who made them laugh, will continue to succeed in whatever he does and will do.