`Doothagatolkacham' premiered
T.K. SADASIVAN
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Bhasa's `Doothagatolkacham,' which was staged in Ernakulam, had many unique features.
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EPOCH-MAKING PRODUCTION: A scene from `Doothagatolkacham.'
Although 13 plays of the great playwright Bhasa, who lived in the third century AD, had been traced in Kerala in 1912, it is believed that some of them had not been staged in Koodiyattom, the Sanskrit theatre form of Kerala. `Doothagatolkacham' is one that is said to have been never fully staged in Koodiyattom.
Bhasa's 'Doothakatolkacham' was recently staged in Ernakulam. This Sanskrit play, composed of dramatic sequences, has many unique features. Bhasa's play was based on an anecdote that he created from the Mahabharatha. It is not mentioned in the epic. For the first time, characters from the Mahabharata like Dhritarashtrar, Dhussasanan and Sakuni appeared in Koodiyattom.
Margi Madhu, who has already won laurels as a brilliant actor and choreographer, conceived the play in the modern context, strictly adhering to the principles of this classical art.
The theme of the play is a message that Lord Krishna wants Ghatolkacha, son of Bheema, to convey to the Kauravas. Ghatolkacha had to inform the Kauravas that Arjuna, whose son Abhimanyu had been killed in the battle, would go to any extent to defeat the Kauravas. The play opens with the entry of a furious Ghatolkacha. On reaching the Kauravas' court, Ghatolkacha informs Dhrithashatrar about the cruel and deceitful killing of Abhimanyu. He also describes the greatness of Lord Krishna to Duryodhana.
Exceptional portrayal
Margi Madhu as Ghatolkacha was superb. He was at his best in the sequence where he illustrated the cowardly acts of the Kauravas. Through the technique of `Pakarnattam,' (recounting of past events) Madhu skillfully portrayed many characters like Panjali, Duryodhana and Abhimanyu. Madhu described the disrobing of Panchali (`vasthrakshepam') through emotive movements of the eyes (`Nethrabhinaya'). Similarly, he skilfully described the killing of Abhimanyu with the support of the percussion. Kalamandalam Kanakakumar (Dhrithashatrar), Kalamandalam Ravindran (Sakuni), Margi Raman (Dhuryodhanan) and Margi Narayanan (Dhussasanan) excelled in their roles.
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