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On a rescue mission
T. K. SADASIVAN
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‘Thoranayudham’ is about Hanuman’s journey to Lanka to rescue Sita who is held in captivity by King Ravana.
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Arrogance personified: Kalamandalam E. Vasudevan as Ravanan.
‘Thoranayudham’ is a play that never fails to enthral Kathakali aficionados as it has many captivating dramatic scenes. ‘Thoranayudham,’ written by Kottarakara Thampuran, is the story of Hanuman’s journey to Lanka to seek and rescue Sita who is held in captivity by King Ravana.
Ernakulam Kathakali Club staged the play in connection with the Ramanavami festival.
The play, however, suffered a setback due to the death of Thripunithura Unnikrishnan, a promising and talented Kathakali artiste who was to have played the role of Lankalakshmi. Tributes were paid to the 28-year-old artiste who died in a road accident.
The play started with Hanuman’s journey to Lanka. Kottakkal Nandakumar, in the role of Hanuman, stole the show with his passionate performance.
Brilliant improvisations
He captivated the spectators during the Elakiyattom and amused them with brilliant improvisations while describing the gigantic creature ‘Simhika,’ which he meets on the high seas. With vibrant movements and vivid expressions, Kottakal Nandakumar portrayed the mischievous Simhika.
Kalamandalam E. Vasudevan handled the role of Ravana impressively. He skilfully portrayed a Ravana who is frustrated as his efforts to seduce Sita fail. However, due to time constraints, the scene was rushed through.
The action-packed final scenes of the play were the highlight of the play. Hanuman meets Sita but he is caught by Ravana’s guards and brought before Ravana. Ravana orders his guards to kill the unrepentant Hanuman by setting his tail on fire. Hanuman sets ablaze the whole of Lanka.
FACT Biju Bhasker handled the role of Lankalakshmi. N.N. Koluthapilly and Sadanam Sivadas were on the vocals and they rendered the songs impressively. Kuroor Vasudevan Namboodiri and Kalamandalam Asokan on the chenda and Achuthawarrier on the maddalam supported the actors on the percussion.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
