Vatsala Rajagopalan reminisces about her days with Rasika Ranga since 1979

Hers is a remarkable performance. At 70, Vatsala Rajagopalan takes a bus from her home in Perungalathur and then changes two autos to reach the venue of the show well in time. The journey takes her nearly two hours. She undertakes this with a foot that was badly injured in an accident two years ago. But there is more to follow.

After putting on her make-up and the costume, she is on her feet for two hours or more on the stage, entering into the spirit of the role whether of understanding wife, supportive mother-in-law or whimsical aunt.

Vatsala may be a popular and well-loved face on television today, but her all-consuming love is for the theatre. Recipient of the Nataka Choodamani of the Krishna Gana Sabha this year, the actress has been with Rasika Ranga since 1979.

“I am grateful to her unfailing support over the years,” says Marina. “When actresses are migrating from the stage to television in greater numbers, she is an artiste who will refuse to take up a lucrative assignment on the small screen if she happens to have a stage performance that day.”

When I catch up with her at the Vani Mahal one evening, she is just putting on the finishing touches to her make-up. A stagehand drops in to pay his respects to an artiste who has won regard for her talent and commitment. But Vatsala’s unassuming demeanour tells you that she is unchanged since the days she was a junior accountant at the A.G.’s office. The only press clipping she produces is a review of Kasturi Thilakam in The Hindu some years ago in which she played to perfection the role of the dedicated wife of the apostle of non-violence.

“It all happened by chance,” she tells you of her career as an actress. “But it is from my mother Ambujam Krishnaswamy, a brilliant student in her days, that I inherited my histrionic talent.” Vatsala cut her stage teeth as a student at her college in Kerala. But the stage as a calling didn’t happen till much later. Marriage in 1953 to her cousin brought her to Madras. Little had she dreamt, when she joined the A.G.’s office, that her colleague K. Balachander would one day offer her roles in his serials and that, much before that, she would have established herself as a stage artiste of repute and standing.

She made her debut as Seetha Paati, Appusamy’s intelligent mate in an All India Radio play about a hilarious old couple. (Later, she won acclaim in the role when a TV serial was produced.) “But I was out of it soon. I was told my voice was too sweet!” The role of Appusamy was played by G. Krishnamurthy. “When he was dropped too, he promised that he would make me a leading artiste on the stage.” Soon after, she acted as celebrated comedian T.R. Ramachandran’s daughter in Kaayamae Idhu Poiyyada. The script was by Krishnamurthy. The acting offers piled up and in 1979, she was spotted by Marina.

Thani Kudithanam found her giving her own touches to the role of the mother-in-law. She excelled as the gossipy aunt with a heart of gold in Oor Vambu, as the wicked mother-in-law in Swamiyaarin Maamiyar and as the possessive mother in Maapillai Murukku.

“Goodwill Stage also provided me many opportunities to exhibit my talent,” says Vatsala. Auto Paati, was a rollicking play. Her stage career has spanned 25 years and nearly 450 performances, mostly in Marina’s plays.

An instinctive understanding of her role and an effortless naturalness make the veteran actress a standout performer. “In TV serials (such as Chitti) with the director’s permission, I often improvise on the script.” She is at present delighting audiences with her performance in Adugiraan Kannan.

Vatsala has been appearing in TV serials almost from the day they began to be made. “I love acting in Balu Mahendra’s and Balachander’s serials. The former’s Kathai Neram and the latter’s Kai Alavu Manasu and Kaadal Pagadai were memorable experiences,” says the artiste.

She has acted in quite a few films as well — Roja, Sathi Leelavathi, Rhythm and Kalamellam Kadal Vazhga among others.

“TV pays much better than the stage, which is why many actresses prefer to act in serials. In fact, you spend more than you earn when you act in a play,” says Vatsala, a fulfilled mother of four who lost her husband, a great source of support and encouragement recently. What keeps her going is her work. At an age when most artistes would be content to spend their time rocking their grandchildren on their knees, Vatsala continues to travel to the auditoria. “When the passengers of the bus recognise me and elderly women identify with the roles I play, I feel a satisfaction that is beyond words,” says the veteran.

- As reported and written by Kausalya Santhanam

(NOTE: The actor’s name was then reported as Vatsala Rajagopalan, as opposed to the contemporary reports that refer to her as Vatsala Rajagopal)