Mark of a thespian
VINU VASUDEVAN
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Thespian Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharodi came up with a powerful performance as Daksha.
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Protagonist: ‘Dakshayagam’ is perhaps the only play in Kathakali in which Dakshaprajapathy appears as a character.
Irayimman Thampi’s ‘Dakshayagam Kathakali’ was staged at Paramekkavu Devaswom agrasala in Thrissur. ‘Dakshayagam’ is perhaps the only play in Kathakali in which Dakshaprajapathy appears as a character. ‘Dakshayagam
’ is centred on the father-daughter bond between Daksha and his daughter Sathy, and the souring of the relationship when his daughter marries against his wishes.
Memorable performance
Only the first part of the play was staged in Thrissur. Veteran Kathakali actor Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharodi came up with a memorable performance in the lead role of Daksha. The play begins on a full moon night with Daksha romancing his wife, Vedavalli, to the lyrical notes of the padam ‘Poomthenvani…’ in Kamboji raga. The king compares his queen’s loveliness with that of the moon. Pisharodi perfectly balanced the emotional (bhava) and dance (nrita) aspects of the padam and capped it with an aesthetic ‘kalasam’ at the end of that padam. His expressions and movements were in tune with the ‘sthayi bhava’ of the character.
After the padam, the thespian performed a small but apt manodharma attam that enumerated the characteristics of a good husband. The second scene narrates how Daksha and Vedavalli get their daughter, Sathi, from the banks of the Kalindi. Pisharodi’s enactment of the padams ‘Kanninakkanandam’ and ‘Ananthajanmarjitham’ were essays in perfection. Sathi’s penance and the testing of Lord Siva were the highlights of the third scene.
Kalamandalam Sivadasan essayed the roles of Vedavalli and Sathi. Sivadasan came up with an articulate performance while enacting the anxieties of a woman who is deeply attracted to Lord Siva in the padam ‘Sreeneelakanda…’ Kalamandalam Subramanian Nambudiri, the leading musician, rendered the lyrics in a manner that evoked the ambience of the play without ever deviating from the format of traditional Kathakali music. Kalamandalam Rajendran ably supported him as the second singer.
Percussionists Kalamandalam Varanasi Narayanan Nambudiri (chenda) and Kalamandalam Sasi (maddalam), both from the Kalamandalam School of melam, played a major part in making the evening a memorable one. The programme was organised by the Thrissur Kathakali Club as part of their monthly programme.
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