Saundaryalahari, a brand new and novel Kathakali play

From Saundaryalahari
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

In any extremely advanced artwork kind, the theme is extra usually not subservient to the shape. Kathakali isn’t any exception. This might be the rationale why many new performs are seldom staged once more after being premiered. But Kathakali playwrights hardly appear to be disillusioned. Manoj Pulloor, who hails from a household dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Kathakali for over a century, not too long ago composed a play titled Saundaryalahari on the lifetime of Sankaracharya. However the title has nothing to do with Adi Sankara’s well-known literary work.

Though the intention of the play is to spotlight the ascension of Sankara to Sarvajnapeeta after defeating scholar Mandanamishra from Midhila, the dramatic occasions (based on a vernacular model) that precede kind the theme of Saundaryalahari.

Eight scenes

Unfold over eight scenes, it begins with the entry of Amaruka, the king of Kashmir together with his consort, Manjarika. Within the succeeding scene Mandanamishra visits the king to share his apprehensions in regards to the younger saint Sankara, from south India, attempting to defeat his opponents and attain Sarvajnapeeta. Mandanamishra tells him that his spouse intervened within the debate he had with Sankara by elevating a query about Kamasastra, of which the latter hardly knew something. Sankara requested for a yr’s time to familiarise himself with that department of information and, due to this fact, the controversy discontinued. The offended king assures Madanamishra that he would annihilate the younger saint’s ego.

Within the third scene, the king conducts a Mruthyumjayahoma (a ceremony to elongate the lifespan) led by Mandanamishra. Earlier than its completion, Amaruka falls down lifeless. Sankara then reaches Kashmir accompanied by his disciples. He asks the palace rajaguru to make preparations for his or her keep to give you the option see the physique of the deceased king. On seeing the corpse of the king, Sankara tells his disciples to safeguard his physique, since his soul would transmigrate into the king’s physique. King Amaruka wakes up a lot to the amazement of his spouse and others within the palace. Amaruka, who’s reborn with the soul of Sankara now requests his consort to show him all about Kamasastra. Quickly the king discloses that he’s really Sankara, who will quickly hand over this physique to enter his personal. Thus continues his journey to achieve Sarvajnapeeta.

Kathakali flavour

The primary half of the play during which Amaruka describes the great thing about his consort carries the tone and texture of Kathakali. Kesavan Kundalayar, the gifted actor, within the facial make-up of the villainous character, was extraordinarily expressive. Kalamandalam Sajan as Manjarika tried exhausting to be average in his actions and expressions. Kalamandalam Manoj as Mandanamishra carried out inside the attribute parameters of Kathakali and his interplay with the king was persuasive. Within the latter half, Peesappilly Rajeev, an imaginative actor, performed Amaruka bearing the soul of Sankara, which was no imply job. Rajeev introduced this duality convincingly. Right here Sajan as Manjarika did go a bit overboard at occasions.

Apparently, Sankara’s presence within the play, seen from an aesthetic angle, was inconsequential. Therefore Vishnu Vellakkad, who donned the position of the younger saint, in newly designed costumes doesn’t deserve any particular point out. Whereas Vengeri Narayanan, the vocalist, supported by Sarang Pulloor and Sreedevan Cherumittam, sang the slokams, dandakams and the padams impressively, Kalamandalam Balasundaran on the chenda and Biju Attupuram on the maddalam contributed significantly to energise the actions and feelings of all of the lead characters. The lyrics penned by Manoj Pulloor have been lucid and simply understandable. Kalamandalam Sajan, who choreographed the play for the Kathakali stage, has taken a specific amount of liberty in emotionally build up the characters of Amaruka and Manjarika, particularly within the latter half. The play was carried out on the Changampuzha Park in Edappally.

If prudently edited, the period of the efficiency can simply be decreased to 3 hours which would supply extra depth to the textual content, contexts and characters of Saundaryalahari. Whether or not the play could be added to the repertoire of Kathakali, time alone can inform.