Crazy Mohan’s iconic play ‘Chocolate Krishna’ to be presented by Maadhu Balaji in Coimbatore

There is something endearing about the brand of comedy ‘Crazy’ Mohan created. It was and still is loved by the young and the old alike. Chocolate Krishna, one of the most popular productions by the late veteran theatre personality, actor, and screenwriter, was among the plays in which he played the lead until his final days. It is now set to be staged in the city by his team, led by his brother Maadhu Balaji. The occasion? To invite senior citizens to share some laughs at Geri Care Skilled Nursing Facility & Senior Citizens Clinic in the city.

The audience at Maadhu and team’s show in Geri Care, Chennai
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The event is part of their Chamber of Humour format in which they perform for small gatherings in schools, colleges, factories, and even hospitals. He recalls performing at Geri Care’s facility in Chennai recently, adding how the experience was different from their regular stage performances. “There were around 400 senior citizens who had come to watch our play,” he says, adding that once it ended, they went around interacting with the audience.

“They were very curious about us. They asked a lot of questions about our troupe; when it was started; Mohan’s background; how the play was written and so on. We spent nearly 45 minutes answering their questions,” he says. Maadhu says hospitals and senior citizen homes are among their focus areas of late. “When we perform for people there, we make it a point to spend some time with them, sharing a few warm words,” he says: “Some of them even share their problems with us.”

A file photo of Crazy Mohan seen with Maadhu in Chennai in 2015.
| Photo Credit:
RAGHUNATHAN SR

These are events in which the wall between the audience and the actors comes down, and they become a friend asking after them. “The shows have a purpose beyond entertainment,” he says. After staging over 6,500 shows the world over, Maadhu says their team wishes to traverse this path henceforth. “We’ve made enough money,” he says, adding that it is time to give back. “We want to take Mohan’s legacy to the next generation,” says Maadhu. “His 75th birthday is coming up on October 16 and our wish is that his plays should reach more people.”

Mohan and his team have a close association with the city. “Coimbatore is like our thaai veedu. We’ve done some memorable plays here,” says Maadhu. “Our first show in the city was in 1979 at Jail Auditorium. We staged a play called Aladdin and Hundred Watts Blub.” They have travelled to the city innumerable times, staying at various hotels. “Back then, there used to a sabha here called Urvasi, that used to invite us for performances,” he says. Mohan, recalls Maadhu, would make it a point to have breakfast at Annapoorna whenever he visited. “We would pack dinner from The Residency,” he recalls, adding, “After Madras, we’ve done the most number of shows in Coimbatore, and people here have supported us for over 40 years.”

Anand Subramanian, chief of marketing and communications at Geri Care, feels that senior citizens will be able to connect with the content Maadhu and team bring. “Afterall, humour is therapy,” he says, adding that their Chennai event inspired them to bring the same to Coimbatore. Crazy Productions, he says are the “OG stand-up comedians.” Anand says Geri Care aims to break myths surrounding elder care. “Caring for them is all about understanding and valuing their needs,” he says, adding that the event will give people the chance to understand what their facility offers.

Maadhu finds joy in these small format shows in which he gets to touch a fellow human being’s life. He recalls how after a recent show for senior citizens, he walked into a room to visit an elderly man with dementia. “He recalled that he worked at BHEL in Tiruchy and I kept chatting about how we’ve visited the city several times for shows,” he says, adding how he did so without expecting the elder to know who he was. But as Maadhu was about to leave, the elder said in a booming voice, ‘How can one forget Maadhu?’

Chocolate Krishna is being staged on September 27, 5.30pm, at Geri Care Clinic, 768, Puliakulam Road, Dhamu Nagar. Entry is free. To register, give a missed call on 8046513333