Excerpts from five Kathakali plays were staged in Palakkad as part of a workshop on lighting for Kathakali performances. Pacha, Kathi, Thadi and Minukku characters, highlighting different aspects of characters in Kathakali, were selected for the workshop.
Kottayathu Thampuran’s ‘Kirmeeravadham’ was the first piece to be presented. The scene depicts Simhika, a demoness in disguise as the beautiful Lalitha, trying to catch Panchali’s attention. Kottakkal Raju Mohan, an artiste of the PSV Natyasaghom Kathakali Troupe, performed the role of Lalitha. Kalamandalam Adithyan essayed the role of Panchali.
It was followed by Peesappalli Rajeevan’s performance as Nalan from ‘Nalacharitham Moonam Divasam’. It was a solo performance beginning with the padam ‘Lokapalanmare’. The 90-minute presentation was well planned. He was at his best narrating Nala’s tragedy, especially in the padams, ‘Anujanodu thottu ullam’ and ‘Tharuniye vittu kattil’. However, he didn’t experiment with manodharma attam.
A piece from Irayimman Thampy's ‘Keechakavadham’ followed. Kalamandalam Manoj enacted Keechaka.After the ‘Thiranottam’, two scenes were staged. In the first one, a solo act, Keechaka narrates the beauty of Panchali. Well-structured rendering of mudras and gestures were the highlights of that performance. In the second scene, Keechaka meets Panchali (disguised as Malini) the maid of his sister, and tries to woo her. Haripriya Nambudiri's Malini stood out and her interpretation of the padam ‘Saadaram nee chonnoru mozhi’ delineated the emotional trauma of that character.
Sadanam Krishnadas' Hanuman in the play ‘Thoranayudham’ was the fourth piece. The hour-long performance narrated the incidents while Hanuman crosses the ocean to reach Lanka in search of Sita. Krishnadas, a disciple of legendary artiste Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, though perfect in technical aspects, showed lack of experience.
Kalamandalam Neeraj's Jarasandha of ‘Rajasooyam’ was the final piece. Neeraj breathed life into the performance and it was packed with energy. The event was organised by a Pattambi-based cultural organisation, Ekalochanam.
