At this time, me, there was a suggestion, that for Jesus Christ…Instead of using a statue, to have an actual actor to play the role. Then the elders asked “Who? Who will play the role?” So then some said Christy would be good for the role.

My mother also comes to watch the plays. The Passion Play of Duwa. Once in the scene where the soldiers come to take me away…My mother screamed, “Help! They are going to kill my son!”

I was about 5 years old when I started taking an interest in the Passion play. Our elders used to rehearse the Passion Play on the beach. I used to sit with children my age and watch them practising. As I watched, I hoped that someday I would also play a part in the Passion Play. Then when I was around 8 years of age, the director of the Passion Play said to me… “ Christy, come and join the play.” So I went along.

I got to play a female role first. I played that for about three years. But I wasn’t satisfied with the part. It wasn’t enough for me. I wanted something bigger. So I went to the director and told him to give me a bigger role.

If a short person plays Jesus, when soldiers gather around him, he’s hidden. So they chose me because I was tall. And because of my voice. When I was chosen, I loved it and felt that I would be able to live up to the role.

One uncle told me once not to play this role saying that it is not a good thing. Because people who play the role get plagued with bad luck. Even so, I took up the challenge. I told him, “No uncle, I need to do this”.

In 1962 I first played the role of Jesus. Afterwards, people came up to me and told me that I portrayed the part of Christ to perfection. Now, I am no longer keen to play this role because I am 90 years old. And my appearance has changed. I don’t look right anymore. So even if they ask me to play Jesus, I say no.

Over the last 50 years, I must have played Jesus around thirty or forty times. When I’m acting, there are times when great sadness needs to be evoked. I’ve had tears in my eyes at such moments. I didn’t feel scared because it’s just a play. But I did feel the sadness.