Kottayathu Thampuran’s ‘Kalyanasougandhikam’, ‘Kirmeeravadham’, ‘Kalakeyavadham’ and ‘Bakavadham’ are often referred to as the ‘perfect four’ among Kathakali plays. The lead roles in these plays pose a challenge for the actors. In ‘Bakavadham’ the focus is on Asari, Hidumbi-Lalitha, Bhima and Baka. ‘Bakavadham’ is a play that gets fewer stages among the four, the length of the play possibly being one of the reasons. That is why a staging of the full version of the play, spread across three evenings, in Thiruvananthapuram, gained attention.
The first segment, which involves the character of Asari, was staged a few months ago and the rest was staged recently on consecutive days as part of Dirisyavedi’s 19th Kerala Rangakalolsavam.
An unusual love story Hidumbi, sent by her mighty brother Hidumba, finds Kunthi and the Pandavas being protected by Bhima. A lovestruck Hidumbi transforms herself into a charming damsel and proposes to Bhima, acknowledging her real identity. Unlike other Lalitha characters, Hidumbi has no evil intentions behind her beautiful makeover. Later, circumstances force Bhima to kill Hidumba. Hidumbi becomes his wife and soon a son Ghatotkacha, is born to them.
Kalamandalam Vijayakumar was impressive right from the start in the role of Hidumbi, where she makes her entry with a charming smile in the uniquely arranged sari dance. Ettumanoor P. Kannan excelled as Bhima and it was the chemistry between the two actors that made the scenes a treat to watch. The beautifully choreographed Iratti towards the end of ‘Chentharbana...’ was also skilfully executed by the duo. However, at one point, Vijayakumar failed to be on the stage when required and the others were forced to manage the scene without him. It was rather unfortunate to have this gray moment, in an otherwise well-staged performance.
The story features some beautiful padams in a slow tempo beginning with ‘Marasadrusa...’ in Yadukulakamboji. Kottakkal Narayanan once again displayed his proficiency in handling Kottayam Thampuran plays through his perspective rendering, ably assisted by Vengeri Narayanan who is also from the same school.
Slaying of Baka While in exile, the Pandavas reach Ekachakra and come to know about Baka and his cruelty from a Brahmin couple. Kunthi asks Bhima to kill the demon and save the villagers. Inside the forest, a hungry Baka awaits the cart carrying his lunch and becomes furious when he sees Bhima consuming the meal. The battle begins and eventually Bhima kills Baka.
Chathannoor Kochu Narayana Pillai and Kalamandalam Sudeep donned the roles of the Brahmin couple, while Margi Sukumaran essayed Kunthi. The initial scenes were uneventful as none of the artistes was able to breathe life into their characters. FACT Mohanan came in as Bhima on the second day and succeeded in making his presence felt throughout. Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri once again shone in the role of Baka, one of his widely-recognised red-beard characters. While he looked a bit tired in his movements, the septuagenarian managed to compensate for it with his deft abhinaya.
