Parasurama of ‘Seetha Swayamvaram’ is one of the toughest characters in the Kathakali repertoire. Kathakali enthusiasts in Ernakulam had the opportunity to watch a brilliant portrayal of the character by Kottakkal Kesavan Kundalayar.
‘Seetha Swayamvaram’, written by Kottarakara Thampuran, is a play in 16 acts. But nowadays only the sequence depicting Parasurama’s confrontation with Lord Rama is normally staged.
The play started with the ‘Thapasattam’ of Parasurama, an improvised sequence introduced in the play by the late Kathakali maestro Vazhenkada Kunju Nair.
Kesavan Kundalayar, who has carved a place for himself with anti-hero roles, was at his best while describing the killings of Kshathriyas. He did numerous kalaasams in regular intervals with precise and powerful steps. The furious warrior’s transformation into a calm and humble sage at the end of the play was remarkable. His rapport with the percussionists was outstanding.
Ettumanoor Kannan who donned the role of Rama was equally good. His kalaasams and facial expressions were apt. Kalamandalam Radhakrishnan (Seetha), Kalamandalam Arun Ramesh (Lakshman) and FACT Biju Bhasker (Dasharadha) were the other actors.
Percussion support was given by Kalamandalam Krishnadas and Kalamandalam Gopikrishnan (chenda) and Kalamandalam Achutha Warrier and RLV Jithin (maddalam). Kalanilayam Rajeev and Kalamandalam Viswas were on the vocals. The event was organised by BEAME and Ernakulam Karayogam.
