Portrait of Hidumbi
T.K. SADASIVAN
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Sadanam Harikumar’s ‘Hidumbi,’ which was staged in Kochi, is the latest addition to the repertoire of the art form.
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DIFFERENT TAKE: Sadanam Harikumar's play explored the facets of Hidumbi's character.
In Kathakali, female characters are normally enacted by male artistes. It is a challenging task for them, however, to effectively portray feminine expressions and lasya bhava accompanied by the right body movements that is peculiar to each characte
r. Sadanam Sreenath’s Hidumbi enchanted spectators on account of his brilliant acting.
‘Hidumbi,’ written by versatile artiste Sadanam Harikumar, is the latest addition to the Kathakali repertoire. The play was well received by Kathakali enthusiasts when it was recently staged in Ernakulam.
The play, adapted from an anecdote in the Mahabharat, portrays Hidumbi as the central character. Sadanam Harikumar says that though the same anecdote is part of ‘Bakavadham,’ the character of Hidumbi is overshadowed by other characters in that play. In ‘Hidumbi,’ Sadanam Harikumar looks at Hidumbi from a different perspective and the writer is successful in bringing out the various facets of the character.
Another feature of the play was that the roles of Hidumbi in Kari costume and in Minukku costume were performed by the same actor. This helps the actor to show his potential by portraying a wide range of emotions in various dramatic sequences as the play progresses.
The play took off with a brisk thiranottam of Hidumbi, followed by Hidumban. Hidumban tells Hidumbi he is tired of eating animal meat. He longs to taste human flesh. As he senses the presence of humans in the forest, Hidumbi sets out in search of them. Meanwhile, the exiled Pandavas are in the forest. Hidumbi sees Bhima who is in search of a safe place in the forest. She disguises herself as a beautiful woman and Bhima falls for her.
Hidumban is furious when he sees Hidumbi with Bhima. After a tussle, Hidumban is killed and the play ends with Bhima marrying Hidumbi.
Sadanam Sreenath who breathed life into the character of Hidumbi, stole the show with his excellent acting.
Lasya-laden movements
The actor enthralled the spectators with his facial expressions and lasya-laden movements. Hidumbi’s dilemma when she discovers her brother has been killed by Bhima was well portrayed. Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri and Kalanilayam Balakrishnan excelled in the roles of Hidumban and Bhima respectively. Sadanam Sadananadan (Kunti) and Sadanam Vishnuprasad (Vysan) were the other actors.
Vocals by Sadanam Harikumar and Sadanam Sivadas were admirable. Harikumar rendered the melodious padams ‘Rithumatiyaya’ (Begada) and ‘Madhuvum Madhurakaniyum….’ (Bilahari). Percussionists Sadanam Gopalakrishnan on the chenda and Sadanam Ramakrishnan on the maddalam supported the actors.
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