KOCHI: If the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) was instrumental in Gothuruth island, the fount of Chavittunatakam dance-drama near North Paravur, getting over its tipsy past to become a hub of cultural activity, Gothuruth Chavittunataka Kala Samithi presented ‘Karalsmancharitham’, the story of Charlemagne the Great, at the biennale pavilion at Cabral Yard on Sunday.
The performance of the Portuguese-Indian theatre stood out for its glitzy costumes, thumping music, and high-voltage movements.
“Chavittunatakam has similarities with operas of the West because of its highly dramatic sequences and narrative methods,” said Thampi Payyapilly, Thampi Asan to Chavittunatakam aficionados, a master of the art for some four decades.
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Besides directing the production, Payyapilly also played the lead role of King Karalsman.
“To depict war-fighting, elements from martial arts like ‘Kalaripayattu’ are used in Chavittunatakam, and the music has influences from ‘Yaksha ganam’,” Payyapilly said.
The plot revolves around a wicked king who embarks on a battle with Karalsman but fails to overcome the power of the good king. “The story of Karalsman is the most popular plot in Chavittunatakam, the original script of which was written in the 16th century,” he added.
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Believed to have evolved from the cultural vacuum felt by Portuguese missionaries when they reached Kerala around that time, the production has remained relevant, thanks to its incorporation of elements from a multitude of cultures. In addition to blending their theatre with indigenous art forms to propagate their teachings among the native population, the missionaries also set their performances in the ‘Senthamizh’ language, popular in the coastal areas of Kerala during the time.
‘Beautiful experience’
Actor Sanjana Kapoor described India’s only biennale as a “beautiful” experience. Observing a playful quality in the artworks on display at the ongoing KMB, she said it felt like the artists were playing with the ideas of what visitors could see, perceive, and what the truth was,” said Kapoor, formerly head of the famed Prithvi theatre in Mumbai.
On the performances she caught up with during her visit to Aspinwall House, the primary venue, on Monday, Ms. Kapoor said Lundahl and Seitl’s ‘blindfold tour’ installation ‘Symphony of a Missing Room: An Imagines Museum’ stood out.
Medical partner
Artist Praneet Soi inaugurated the graffiti on the compound wall of Medical Trust Hospital, KMB’s medical partner, on Monday. The hospital has also set up a clinic for biennale visitors at Aspinwall House. An ambulance also remains standby there.