Feroze Kamardeen hasn’t performed on stage for over 16 years. After his last performance in 2007, the actor turned playwright and director has been the man behind some of Sri Lanka’s beloved productions including the political satire Puswedilla and the stand-up comedy series Freddy. So, quite understandably, Kamardeen’s return to performing theatre after almost two decades must be as iconic as the man himself. And what screams iconic more than a one-man play? 

Grow Up Nana! written and performed by Kamardeen took place on  23rd and 24th November at the Lionel Wendt. As Kamardeen took to the stage and effortlessly guided the audience through a two-hour monologue – it’s hard to believe that he ever left the stage at all. “Grow up Nana! is my way of saying thank you to you” he shared laughingly, “you know, by making you buy a ticket to come see me say thank you to you” adding that this was probably the ‘thambiest thing’ he could do. As promised, Grow Up Nana! was personal, very personal. Kamardeen took the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions, of part reminiscing about his career (including a delightful play-by-play of sitting next to His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse watching Puswedilla on stage) and part about the Muslim community – paying ode to the Siththi’s as the unsung heroes of their lives and dishing out on where all the best jaggery is kept for wattalappan.

And in the brutally candid manner that only Kamardeen himself can deliver – he also took a moment to reflect and opine on some of the more serious matters within the community. “My community has three life cycles for a girl – hatched, matched and dispatched” he said as he questioned the double standards women in his community are often subjected to, including the rigid Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act which does not allow women to sign their own marriage certificates. “Make the MMDA not more favourable but more equitable towards our women” he called out.

Kamardeen also quite sombrely and tearfully touched on two very sensitive topics during the play as he condemned the actions of the then Sri Lankan government for forcing cremations on the deceased Muslims during COVID-19 and as the finale, a call for action against the continued brutality in Gaza and Palestine. Overall, Kamardeen managed to make his audience laugh, cry, introspect and tumble through a kaleidoscope of emotions all in the span of a mere two hours that was Grow Up Nana! And if anyone found the evening a little too political or a little too serious for their taste – well, we like to think that’s perhaps exactly what Kamardeen intended his play to be. As he said, “A lot of what I have to say is based on my observations and my opinion so if you disagree with my opinion, that’s perfectly fine. But if you disagree with the facts…well, I think that’s problematic.” We spoke to a few members of the audience after the show. Here’s what they had to say:

“Grow up Nana! was a fun romp and a wonderful blend of funny and insightful. I also learnt about what a perfect wattalappan looks like and where to get the best jaggery!”  – AMANDA

“All in all, a good show. I really enjoyed the humour of the whole show. I do think it should have had more humour than political undertones but nevertheless, it was good”  – ASHIK  

“We absolutely loved it! It’s hilarious, we had tears in our eyes from laughing so much”  – AISHA

“Honestly, I thought he was so spot on about the things he said, especially about the MMDA and how it’s time for things to change. As always, Feroze ensured that we all had a good laugh”  – DINESH

“We enjoyed everything about the show. A great evening”  – ZAREEHA

“The most important thing about the performance was Feroze highlighting the issue of Muslim women being unable to sign their own marriage certificates. It was also great that he spoke about the forced cremations, which was (and continues to be) a source of trauma to Sri Lankan Muslims. Overall, a well-done performance and something which everyone needs to watch”  – SHANAZ

“Hilarious. A bit political I thought but overall, good fun. He made some strong points and what he spoke about, regarding the things that happen in our community, were funny and on point!”  – RIKAZ

“Grow Up Nana! delivered to its audience, information that wasn’t actually new (well, to Sri Lankan Muslims at least) but was humorously presented and well-articulated, touching on varying aspects of the Sri Lankan Muslim community. Overall, I thought it was a remarkable performance, and I wish more people could have seen it.”  – FARAH