Usha-Chitralekha is an excerpt from Banayudham , a Kathakali play of Balakavi Ramasastrikal, dating back to the 18th century. It was the legendary Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair who made the excerpt famous by enacting the roles of Chitralekha and Usha respectively. As Krishnan Nair gradually switched from female roles to heroes and anti-heroes in the late 1960s, Kottakkal Sivaraman took up the role of Chitralekha and won massive appreciation. Later Margi Vijayakumar succeeded in depicting the character of Chitralekha imaginatively.
It was recently staged at Edappally in Kochi with Vijayakumar as Chitralekha and Kottakkal Pradeep as Usha.
An excellently executed ‘sari’ (a dance segment in Kathakali) by both the actors displayed the grace of pure dance, exuding lasya in the undulating body movements and expressions. While the lead female characters in the plays of Kottayathu Thampuran call for restraint in angika (hand gestures and body movements) and satwika (emotive acting), Chitralekha offers the actor scope for lokadharmi (realism).
Adept performance
Vijayakumar employed as much realism as he could to convince the audience of Usha’s sensual yearnings. As Usha recollects the cupid-like lover’s (‘Kamopamaroopan kamanan’) visit in her dream, Chitralekha notices her dishevelled hair and smeared bindi. The padams of both the characters and the dandakam (a portion in verse and prose abridged in a series of events) are erotic.
Pradeep exercised admirable restraint in portraying the emotions of Usha. He portrayed Usha’s demure nature in scenes where Usha reacts to the drawings of young men made by Chitralekha. Finally when Chitralekha shows the image of Anirudha, Usha’s joy knows no bounds. Pradeep presented it suggestively.
Lilting melody is a major attraction of Usha-Chitralekha . Apart from the set ragas including Joanpuri for the famous padam, Kimikim Aho Sakhi!, Kalamandalam Vinod, ably supported by Tripunithura Arjunraj, applied Ranjini, Reethigowla and Kharaharapriya for the short padams/charanam. Vinod’s voice coupled with an intense involvement in the lyrics heightened the loveliness of singing. Kalamandalam Hariharan’s fingerings on the maddalam accentuated the lasya structure of the scenes.
The play was organised by Kathakali Aswadaka Sadas of Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram.
