Anthithottam - The Last Act

Muchilott Madhavan was the sole Indian ever executed by the Nazi German forces in WW2. He hailed from the coastal village of Mahe in Kerala and was a student of the Sorbonne University in Paris. He was captured by the Nazi secret services for being a proponent of the French resistance movement which aimed at liberating France which was under the Nazi German Occupation. The play revolves around the final moments of Madhavan incarcerated in the Fort Romainville Jail. His internal turmoil dwindles between his identity as an Indian, a liberal French communist and an expat in a foreign soil which is calling out for his help. In the concentration camp, he misses the love of his life, Mademoiselle Giesel Molleit who too is in the same prison. The doubts and confusions are answered by the conscience of Madhavan which takes the form of the Kuttichathan Theyyam deity; Pookkutti Sasthappan. The theyyam folklores of Malabar recites the stories of the fallen heroes who are awakened and resurrected. The play explores the faith, beliefs and convictions which are eternally shared among the man and his gods.

Muchilott Madhavan was the sole Indian ever executed by the Nazi German forces in WW2. He hailed from the coastal village of Mahe in Kerala and was a student of the Sorbonne University in Paris. He was captured by the Nazi secret services for being a proponent of the French resistance movement which aimed at liberating France which was under the Nazi German Occupation. The play revolves around the final moments of Madhavan incarcerated in the Fort Romainville Jail. His internal turmoil dwindles between his identity as an Indian, a liberal French communist and an expat in a foreign soil which is calling out for his help. In the concentration camp, he misses the love of his life, Mademoiselle Giesel Molleit who too is in the same prison. The doubts and confusions are answered by the conscience of Madhavan which takes the form of the Kuttichathan Theyyam deity; Pookkutti Sasthappan. The theyyam folklores of Malabar recites the stories of the fallen heroes who are awakened and resurrected. The play explores the faith, beliefs and convictions which are eternally shared among the man and his gods.