When Pritam Das, as famed devadasi Mannargudi Meenakshi, walked into the darkened court of Maharaja Serfoji and stood alone in a big circle of light and saluted the king, there was a loud gasp in the audience. His feminine mannerisms and the sheer audacity of the idea of impersonation created an eerie feeling of déjà vu. So far, we have only heard about court performances, and now we got to witness one.
Pritam, a disciple of Rama Vaidyanathan, has already made an impression as an agile Bharatanatyam dancer with great lines and good footwork and azhutham. His piercing eyes can tell a tale on their own. If he can sustain this standard, he can reach great heights.
The Devadasi act in ‘Nee saati dora’ (Bhairavi, Rupakam, Thanjavur Ponnayya) was full of seductive nuances and gestures, some so openly sensuous and inviting, one felt it was easier for a male dancer to get away with it.
Scholar Jeetender Krishna says he is sure that neither the king nor the dancers took the dance or the lyrics too seriously.
The devadasi says the king is incomparable, speaking with her eyes alone. While the king is unresponsive, the dancer tries to seduce him, with suggestive gestures like showing a bee visiting a flower, when looking at him sensuously.
In another instance, Pritam mimed the nayaka bhava, the king getting dressed, doing his prayer, practising the arts, gifting other artistes, and coming to the woman at the end of the day. The varnam seemed like an overdose, but was not tiresome because of the daring.
Nattuvanar RLV Hemanth Lakshman and mridangist Charudutt V.V. did much to keep the pace of the programme buoyant. Music by Bijeesh Krishna (vocal), Hariprasad Subramanian (flute) and Charulatha (veena) was enjoyable. The jathis were appealing and Pritam’s jumps into the full-sit Mandi adavus added to the vibrancy.
Pritam commenced with a melodious Pushanjali (R.K. Shriramkumar), followed by Annamacharya’s ‘Vande Vasudevam’ (Sri, Khanda Chapu) visualised by Anupama Kylash.
After the varnam, he presented a choreography of his guru Rama Vaidyanathan, a tongue-in-cheek Ninda Stuthi ‘Nadamadi thirindha’ (Kamboji, Khanda Chapu, Papavinasa Mudaliar), finishing with a thillana (Kamavardhini, 19-beat Ragavardhini tala, Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar).
Published - February 15, 2024 05:38 pm IST
