Kathakali has always been a male dominated art form. At present, there are quite a few women performers who have impressed discerning audiences with their originality and skill. Recently, Arya Parapore, one of the young women artistes in Kathakali, performed as Parasurama in ‘Sitaswayamvaram’ at a programme in Palakkad. She came good in this role that demands stamina and physical fitness. ‘Sitaswayamvaram’ is one of the eight stories written by Kottarakkara Thampuran. Although the title of the play indicates the wedding of Rama and Sita, the scenes delineating the swayamvaram and the following scenes are not usually performed. Most recitals of the play focusses on Parasuraman’s stormy entry into the marriage venue and his angry confrontation with Rama.
The recent performance in Palakkad began with the scene that depicts Rama blessing Ahalya and freeing her from a curse that had turned her into a stone. The play then depicted Rama breaking the bow Thrayambakam to win Sita’s hand in marriage. An enraged Parasurama rushes to confront Rama because the bow was presented by Lord Siva, whom the martial saint considered as his guru.
Parasurama’s altercation with Rama has been dealt with in two different ways in Kathakali. One, developed by Vazhenkada Kunju Nair, focusses on the emotional state of the characters while the other, developed by Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair concentrates on the structure and technicality of the scene. Arya blended both and came up with a breathtaking performance.
Right from the fiery entry of Parasurama, Arya maintained the pace of the scene. The youngster never lost her nerve or composure while enacting the demanding scene that lasted for nearly 90 minutes. The mood of confrontation changes when Rama, eventually, reveals his identity. Kalamandalam Adithyan essayed the role of Rama.
Ace singers Kottakkal Madhu and Nedumpalli Rammohan, with the support of Jishnu Nambudiri, marvellously rendered the lyrics. Kalamandalam Balasundaran and Sreevin supported on the chenda while Sadanam Jayaraj and Sadanam Aneesh played the maddalam. Kalamandalam Sooraj acted as Viswamithra and Sadanam Vishnuprasad as the boat man.
