: Destiny plays many a game with Karna in the epic Mahabharata. From being abandoned as a child to his death in the Kurukshetra battle, tragedy follows him like a shadow that never leaves. For theatre artiste Koumarane Valavane, Karna’s story presents an essential question, “Is it possible to imagine an individual’s self-fulfilment outside the caste system?” According to Mr. Valavane, who has directed Puducherry-based Indianostrum theatre’s play ‘Kunti-Karna,’ “As long as Karna is forced to die, it will not be possible to dream of a society that is just.”
‘Kunti-Karna’ has been adapted from the texts of Rabindranath Tagore and Jean-Claude Carrière, and focuses not on Karna’s legendary generosity but the depth of his solitude, says the team behind the play. At a pivotal point in the play, we hear Karna say, “Solitude is my lone companion.” From the word go, the play draws in the audience with its interesting use of light and shadow made beautiful with lit lamps on stage. The audience catches Karna’s angst in the flickering light, even as it moves through the significant events of his life. Actor Vasanth Selvam immerses himself in the role of Karna convincingly, while actor Cordis Paldano dons the multiple roles of Kunti, Arjuna, Parasurama and Krishna with ease.
‘Kunti-Karna’ is a very physical play, drawing from the traditional martial arts like Kalaripayattu. This is to showcase that Arjuna and Karna are “but expressions of the same body, one recognised and the other rejected, that is without identity,” says Mr. Valavane. The stage set is minimalistic, with a pool of water being one of the highlights where several important scenes take place. Arjuna’s perfect aerial silk act is testimony to hours of practice.
As the title suggests, Karna’s relationship with his mother Kunti is explored in depth. The lines between reality and dream blur in their interactions, with Karna’s constant search for his mother a recurring theme. When Karna finally meets Kunti, he asks about his anguish, “Mother, who is the cause for all this?”
It is to explore the mother-son relationship that the play uses “silence or the absence of music,” says Mr. Valavane. “The emotional experience of a performance must be reconceived without the constant presence of music, which rather than accompanying actors, masks their inadequateness.”
He wants the audience to consider the character of Karna without the ‘manipulation of emotion’ that music could trigger, and beyond the ‘pre-conceived notions’ associated with musicality of myths.
If there is one point of weakness in the play, it is perhaps the use of English, which at times sounds a little out of place.
Kunti-Karna, which was first staged in 2012, has completed 65 shows in different cities in India since then. It returned to Puducherry this March, and the final shows of the season will be held at the Indianostrum theatre at 7 p.m. on March 19, 21 and 22.
“Arjuna and Karna are two expressions of the same body, one recognised and the other rejected… without identity.”
