Drisyavedi’s 27th ‘Kerala Natyolsavam’ titled ‘Kauravapraabhavam’ celebrated the glory (or is it the pathos?) of the Kaurava king Duryodhana through four plays, staged over five consecutive days.
Grand opening
The valiant Duryodhana came to life on the inaugural day as Kalamandalam Balasubramanian presented the character with élan in ‘Duryodhanavadham,’ written by Vayaskara Aryan Narayanan Moos. Duryodhana and his brothers, visit their cousins, the Pandavas, in Indraprastha to see whether they could humiliate them in some way. The plan backfires and they get humiliated instead. The Kauravas return home full of vengeance.
The initial sringara with a tint of veera, with signature roars and stylistically choreographed kalasams..., Balasubramanian excelled in all aspects of the Kathi character. Kalamandalam Hari R. Nair as Dussasana was equally good, complementing the senior artiste on stage and also by adding subtle humour in apt places.
This play also deals with the Pandavas losing everything in a game of dice with Sakuni and being forced to go into exile. Margi Vijayakumar shone in the role of Panchali, seen in agony as Dussasana tries to disrobe her and, later, as a bold woman after being saved by Sree Krishna.
Musician Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan did well in his own unique style of rendering, ably assisted by Kalanilayam Rajeevan. Percussion, led by Kurur Vasudevan Namboothiri (chenda) and Kalamandalam Venukkuttan (maddalam), enhanced the recital.
The story of ‘Duryodhanavadham’ took a break here and plays based on stories during the Pandavas’ exile were presented.
Lost in translation
‘Nizhalkuthu’ by Pannisseri Nanu Pillai is a play that relies heavily on lokadharmi aspects. But an overdose of lokadharmi often spoils the narration and that’s what happened here when the play was staged on the second day.
Duryodhana tries his luck with Bharata Malayan (who transforms into a sorcerer as the story progresses). Malayan's magical powers help him kill people by seizing their shadows. Duryodhana orders him to perform this black magic called Nizhalkuthu and kill the Pandavas. Though he refuses at first, Malayan had no option but to obey the orders of the king. The Manthravadi (sorcerer) succeeds, but, as usual, Sree Krishna comes to the rescue of the Pandavas.
Chathannoor Kochu Narayana Pillai performed the role of the Manthravadi. Even the presence of Madavoor Vasudevan Nair (as Duryodhana) couldn’t save the scene in which the Manthravadi performs the Nizhalkuthu. Earlier, there was some relief as Peesappalli Rajeevan and Oyur Ramachandran did well in the roles of Malayan and his wife. Kalamandalam Parthasarathy essayed the role of Thrigarthan. Kalamandalam Sajeevan and Kalamandalam Vishnu were the singers while the percussion was led by Kalabharathi Unnikrishnan (chenda) and Kalamandalam Raveendran (maddalam).
Variety rules
The third day featured ‘Sundariswayamvaram’, by Kunnath Subrahmanian Potty, which rarely gets staged these days. The story narrates how Duryodhana accepts Balarama’s invitation to get his son Lakshanakumara married to Sundari, the daughter of Sree Krishna and Sathyabhama. Abhimanyu, along with his brothers Ghadolkacha and Iravan, also attend the marriage, upsets Duryodhana’s plan and humiliates Lakshanakumara. With the blessings of Sree Krishna, Abhimanyu weds Sundari.
The play was noted for the variety of characters. Other than that, the play by itself had few chances for the actors to excel and the performers also seemed confused at times. However, FACT Mohanan (as Duryodhana), Kalamandal-am Parthasarathy (as Vajradamshtra), Kalaman-dalam Rajeevan (as Abhimanyu) and Kalamandalam Sreekumar (as Ghadolkacha) tried their best to make it captivating. Kalamandalam Surendran was the lead singer while percussion was led by Margi Venugopal (chenda) and Margi Rathnakaran (maddalam).
Engaging recital
The introductory segment of Irayimman Thampi’s ‘Utharaswayamvaram’ was presented on the fourth day. Hearing the news about the death of Keechaka, Duryodhana invades the kingdom of Virata and instructs Thrigarthan to steal the king’s cows.
Duryodhana and Thrigarthan are the key characters in this segment of the play and were portrayed by Sadanam Balakrishnan and Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri, respectively. While the latter was impressive as usual, the former grabbed the attention of the viewers through his distinctive style of presentation. Pathiyoor Sankarankutty and Kalamandalam Vinod were the singers while Kalamandalam Krishnadas (chenda) and Kalanilayam Manoj (maddalam) led the percussion.
Brilliant finale
The fifth day’s performances opened with an awe-inspiring melappadam in which experienced artistes Kalamandalam Krishnadas and Margi Rathnakaran excelled, along with their young counterparts – Kalamandalam Venu Mohan and Kalamandalam Hariharan. Lively rendering by Pathiyoor Sankarankutty and Kalamandalam Vinod further enriched the performance. Later singer Kalanilayam Sinu also pitched in.
A power-packed ‘Duryodhanavadham’ (continuation from the first day) followed. Kalamandalam Balasubramanian once again excelled, this time in the role of Sree Krishna. Kalamandalam Pradeep as Duryodhana was also at his best and they mesmerised the audience with their lively exchanges in a scene featuring the Doothu (messenger). However, the recent trend of Mumukshu entering the scene in advance could have been avoided as the presence of that character there dilutes the intensity of the scene. Margi Vijayakumar as Panchali, Kalamandalam Balakrishnan as Dussasana and Ettumanoor Kannan as Raudrabhima also played their roles to perfection.
The scene where Durodhana dies is less eventful, as it comes after the prolific display that is the killing of Dussasana. It is thus often skipped on stage. The scene was presented here only to ascertain that it is best to be avoided.
The festival came to a closure with the usual dhanasi, presented in all its splendour, by Balasubramanian.
