Malay and Tamil culture come together in tragic love story

Sugeeta Chandran as Ratna (right) and Idham Maulana as Nasir in scene in the theatre show 'Ratna Kadhal', now showing at PJPAC. Photo: Revolution Stage

When Krishnan, a young Indian gardener, wants to learn about the responsibilities of husband and wife in Muslim culture, he turns to Ustazah Kamisah. His curiosity stems from his relationship with his mother Ratna, a traditional dancer in the 1950s.

As Krishnan recounts the tales of his mother to the teacher, he reveals that she fell in love with a Malay man named Nasir. While their relationship proved that love can build bridges between different cultures, both Ratna and Nasir belonged to opposing ends of an Indian-Malay rivalry, the Siva tribe and Lokman tribe respectively.