Sachet-size plays, big-hearted stories

Dubai's Ameeraga Kurunadaga Vizha celebrated the art of storytelling through 12-minute Tamil plays that mirrored life in its raw form

- Asha Iyer Kumar

When young Avni quakingly walks into a women's police station to lodge a complaint, the audience gasps in uneasy anticipation.

A case of bullying at school? Molestation? Online harassment? It's none of these. The preteen is at the station to lodge a complaint against her mother. For abuse, both physical and emotional; for being talked down to frequently, the condescension eventually driving her to self-harm. The officer, taking cognisance of the offence as compelling, registers the case at once, despite the mother pleading that it was all done in good faith for the child's sake.

This was the poignant and pertinent theme of the prizewinning play Magallir Kaaval Nilayam (Women's Police Station) at the 10th annual Emirates Tamil Theatre Festival, Ameeraga Kurunadaga Vizha, held on November 2, 2025. A unique concept inspired by Short+Sweet Theatre Sydney - the largest ten-minute play festival in the world - Ameeraga Kurunadaga Vizha brings together the best of nonprofessional talents from across the UAE to stage a series of plays, each 12 minutes long, competing for prizes in 12 categories.

What began as a kernel of an idea in banker Anand Subramanian's mind ten years ago has now evolved into a fest that stitches together themes and narratives reflecting social realities: from domestic struggles and relational disconnects to societal misconceptions, spiritual undertones, and the technological challenges we confront every day. His initiation was amply supported by local influencer and event organiser Lion Rama Malar, and the rest is an inspiring story of passion, dedication and sheer talent coming together like a bouquet.