Theatre great Narayan Rao believed in power of words

BENGALURU: Despite the popularity and allure of the big screen, theatre will always have loyalists, those who will always have a love for the stage. Renowned stage and cinema actor BS Narayana Rao never wanted his five children to pursue this profession despite coming from a family of theatre artistes. “He would be proud to see how today’s theatre is doing,” says B N Prakash, Rao’s eldest son. As he reminisces his father’s contribution to theatre, he tells City Express that talks are underway to publish a book on his father’s life, with compiled articles and posters.

This centenary year marked celebrations in memory of Rao, and other functions are lined up at sahitya institutions in the city. Known for various heroic as well as villainous roles, his play Bahadur Ganda was staged over 165 times throughout Karnataka. Teaming up with his brothers, he also popularised  the play of Kailasam, Arvathavani, Mast, Samsa and Sri Ranga. He also acted in six Kannada movies, including Gejje Pooje and Anirikshita. Despite getting many more offers to act in films, he preferred the stage and championed theatre more than anything else.

Rao also used this art as a weapon to create awareness on social issues. When Prakash was in his 20s, he often accompanied his father to several villages across the state to raise awareness on family planning through stage plays, ensuring the message was localised enough to make an impact. However, in those days, making ends meet for a theatre artiste was not easy, so Rao ensured his children graduated from college and took up careers that guaranteed a future. “Drama was not at all an option for us. My father would be happy to see how well theatre is doing now,” says a 68-year-old Prakash. “It is now a stepping stone to films,” he adds.

Rao was actively involved in theatre till he was 75 years of age. He passed away in 1999, when he was 83-years-old. But throughout his life, in theatre as well as his house, he emphasised the importance of dialogue and a way certain words were pronounced. “He was a very good teacher  and ensured that pronunciation of words were done right,” says Prakash. “There are many current popular artistes who were trained by my father,” he adds.’