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Creditable: Ranjini Suresh as Ravana in ‘Ravanotbhavam.’

More than anything else it was the challenge that lured Ranjini Suresh towards staging ‘Ravanotbhavam.’ The play has traditionally been the premise of the experienced male Kathakali actor.

A highly structured play, it is considered a classic example of Kathivesham, where the actor needs stamina to go through the gruelling performance. And Ranjini decided to break this ‘exclusivity.’ Her portrayal of Ravana in Kallekulangara Raghava Pisharodi’s famous play, which was staged at Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, was widely acclaimed.

“I have never gone through the regular ‘kalari’ kind of training. I knew this would be a problem when I decided to attempt this character. I was fortunate in finding a teacher, Kalamandalam Sreekumar, who went through the training exactly the way it is taught in a ‘kalari.’ Then, I had to find time from my official and personal commitments to complete the training. Till the performance was over I was tense,” says Ranjini, a lawyer who is now chairperson of Thripunithura Municipality.

The character of Ravana in this play is all might. With the pulsating rhythm, the actor needs to sweat it out andkeep pace with each step, not to forget the complicated mudras.

Narrated in a series of flashbacks, the first part shows Ravana talking of the past in a sort of monologue. He remembers his childhood and traces his progress as a warrior. Ravana recollects how he was jealous of his brother Vysravana as he travels in his ‘pushpakavimana,’ how his mother reproached him and advised him to do penance along with his brothers Kumbakarna and Vibheeshana.

“This is perhaps the trickiest part of the performance where you perform to ‘pathinjathalam.’ Here you need to concentrate a lot. In fact, when I told Ramankutty Asan (Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair) about my idea, he advused me not to strain too much, especially in the first part of the performance.”

Ranjini’s was a perfectly planned performance. There were no visible signs of strain, even when she had to keep pace with the pulsating percussion as the play progresses. Tapasattam, in which Ravana goes through severe penance, till he finally pleases Lord Brahma, was effectively presented by Ranjini. Although the character of Ravana hinges on Veera rasa, the actor needs to go through the whole gamut of emotions, which calls for true expertise.

Some of the senior artistes who were there in the audience were all praise for Ranjini’s performance.

“Personally, it was a fulfilling experience. I was determined to prove that a woman could also attempt such roles. I only hope that young women would be inspired by this and take up other challenging roles.”

Kalamandalam Gopalakrishnan provided the vocal support, while Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan, Kottakkal Prasad (chenda) and Kottakkal Ravi (maddalam) backed up Ranjini with excellent percussion support.

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