Kathakali classics at Kalakshetra festival

‘Uthara Swayamvaram Part 2’ stood out for intense portrayals and music

October 04, 2018 04:03 pm | Updated 04:09 pm IST

A scene from ‘Keechaga Vadham’

A scene from ‘Keechaga Vadham’

Kalakshetra Foundation’s annual Kathakali festival ‘Bhava Bhavanam’ celebrated its tenth edition with senior artistes such as Kalamandalam Gopi, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Margi Vijayakumar, Sadanam Krishnankutty, Sadanam Bhasi, Kalamandalam Balasubrahmanyam, Kalamandalam Rajasekharan, Kalamandalam Ramachandran Unnithan, Kottakal Devadas, Sadanam Vijayan and others, besides the Kalakshetra young artistes Hari Padman, K.P. Rakesh and Girish Madhu.

The third year and post-graduate students in the Kalakshetra Kathakali department, headed by Sadanam Balakrishnan, performed the invocatory Todayamangalam or Purappad, during ‘Bhava Bhavanam.’

‘Uthara Swayamvaram’ Part 2 was an amusing story about Prince Uthara, son of King Virata, his bravado with his harem and his subjects contrasting dramatically with his fearfulness when faced with a fight with the Kauravas. The attakatha, taken from the Mahabharatha, Virata Parvam, has been written by Irayiman Thampi.

Dramatic costumes

One of the highlights of the three-hour dramatisation was Uthara’s romantic rendezvous with his women with poetic references to their beauty in the padam, ‘Aravinda mizhimaare’ (Navarasam, Adi). While the costumes in Kathakali are dramatic, the acting is subtle and often minutely detailed. Sadanam Bhasi as Utharakumara has excellent eye technique which he employs frequently while expressing himself. Addressing four women standing on either side, he included each with sharp eye movements going back and forth, even while emoting. To convey that their teeth are like ‘jasmine buds,’ he used the upward and downward eye movements to show each tooth. It was a soft, melodic experience as the delicate gesturing was reflected in the soulful singing, by Kottakkal Narayanan and Vengery Narayanan.

Uthara is enraged upon hearing of the cows being stolen by the Kauravas. He declares that he will fight like Arjuna, only if he can find a skilful charioteer like Krishna. One must say the time lines have been mixed up here, as the Kurukshetra war is yet to happen as per chronology in the Mahabharatha.

‘Uthara Swayamvaram’ at Kalakshetra

‘Uthara Swayamvaram’ at Kalakshetra

 

Hearing Arjuna’s name used loosely, Sairandri (Draupadi) is offended and comes to tell her husband. As per a curse, Arjuna has turned into a eunuch (Brihannala) for the duration of a year and is employed as Princess Uthara’s dance teacher in the Virata kingdom. One was disappointed that Brihannala had nothing in his costuming or characterisation to set him apart. I learnt later from Hari Padman of Kalakshetra that Brihannala wore the ladies necklace (female Koralaram), which is a bit tapered so as to emphasise the breasts. The portrayal (Sadanam Krishnankutty) was masterly otherwise. Little things like the tender expression in his eyes when complimenting Sairandri in ‘Thaaril thenmozhi marmane’ (Kalyani) made a lasting impact. He offers to drive the prince’s chariot and asks Sairandri to convey this to the princess seated. He gesticulated as a charioteer, using his arms and cheek muscles to show speed.

Technique of using facial muscles, footwork, expressions — Sadanam Krishnankutty excelled in all departments. Getting the chariot battle-ready, choosing the right horses — he chooses thin ones that will not fatigue easily against better-built ones which are not agile — were notable attams, set to percussion.

Most amusing was the scene at the battle, when Uthara loses his nerve. Someone who was once full of bluff is now tied to the flag staff of the chariot. He begs to be allowed to go back ‘to see his mother,’ and tries to escape when untied. Brihannala imitates his romantic persona while tying him up, and urging him to fight as he promised to. Brihannala reveals his identity and the circumstances behind Urvashi’s anger and her curse, with enjoyable ease and relish, to be in an animated conversation with a disbelieving listener. This was a treat.

Uthara is finally ready to be a charioteer, made brave by the repetition of Arjuna’s names. Much laughter accompanied Uthara’s attempt to procure Arjuna’s weapons from a tree top, where a dead body was also spotted. Both charge at the enemy with a battle cry, ‘Aha choran...’

Music was of a very high standard. The percussionists (Chenda - Sadanam Ramakrishnan, maddalam - Sadanam Devdas) played continuously at a fast pace for most of the second half of this play. Sadanam Vijayan as Sairandri played his part with an intense underlying layer of sorrow.

Replete with dramatic moments

If ‘Uthara Swayamvaram’ was melodic and entertaining, ‘Keechaka Vadham’ from the Virata Parva of the Mahabharata as well, was mesmerising. The attakatha (Irayimman Thampi), music (Kottakkal Madhu, Nedumpalli Rammohan), acting (Kalamandalam Balasubrahmanyam as Keechaka, Kalamandalam Rajasekharan as Malini, Sadanam M.N. Harikumar as Valalan, Sadanam Vijayan as Sudeshna) and percussion (Kottakkal Prasad on chenda, Margi Ratnakaran on maddalam) presented artistry at its best.

After the three-hour performance, when I met the actors, I was shocked to see how a soft-spoken Balasubrahmanyam could transform into a pushy, obsessed Keechaka, whose foolishness leads to his death; I recognised his smile, the smile that had carried negative connotations all evening.

The pleasant Rajasekharan Asan, who came across as a passionate teacher and Kathakali enthusiast, had minutes earlier been a scared, disgusted woman (Malini), fobbing off unwelcome advances, and ruing her fate. They look like regular people, unlikely artistes, until their onstage personas reveal their sophistication.

Traditional presentation

In ‘Keechaka …’ every conversation had a sense of heightened drama. The traditional presentation, thiranottam, of a kathi character (high-born, evil male) is a spectacle alright; but it was Keechaka’s low-pitched growl (alarcha), heard during moments of high emotion, that added a sinister effect to his presence. Keechaka leering at Malini (‘Malinee ruchira guna shalini’, Paadi), telling his sister about his infatuation and his helplessness (‘Sodaree rajnhee’, Dhanyasi) and making advances to her in the most famous romantic padam of the Kathakali repertoire, ‘Harinakshi’ (Khambodi), were delectable moments.

Balasubrahmanyam’s technique with facial muscles — eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, his expressions, agility and his uninhibited portrayals were notable.

In ‘Harinakshi’ Keechaka extols Malini’s beauty, imitates her walk with hip shakes, and wooes her into the bedchamber with elaborate preparations of making the bed, smoothing the mattress, tucking the sheet in, spraying perfume on the bed and dousing himself with it; it was detailed, classy and even humorous, but never vulgar.

Malini’s counters were appropriate; she is first puzzled by the attention and rebuffs his advances when she understands his intentions. She is frightened when sent alone on an errand to Keechaka’s quarters, the soliloquy ‘Kshoneendra pathniyuthe’ (Srigandi) was particularly intense. Once face to face with Keechaka, during ‘Harinakshi’, she recovers her composure and remains strong, as his sweet welcome turns into a blatant proposition which turns violent as he gets more frustrated.

Gray shades

The beauty about these characterisations is that they are never black and white, there are shades of vulnerability, foolishness and humour in the blackest of characters and in the direst of situations, that leaves opinions open-ended. One can only marvel at the sensitivity of the script writers and the artistes, who carry on 150 years later.

Keechaka dies in the final scene as he is tricked into a midnight rendezvous with Malini and is murdered by Velala. Staging a murder on stage is dramatic enough, but Keechaka’s death by strangulation, was a long-drawn out affair, to the accompaniment of a lone chenda, with life ebbing out.

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