Kudiyattam to be staged at UoH

Hyderabad is all set to experience the ancient art of Kudiyattam as IGNCA SRC, in association with International Federation of Theatre Research (IFTR). University of Hyderabad will be organising a Kudiyattam performance, held at DST Auditorium on Friday. The event will commence with ‘Toranayuddham’presenting renowned Kerala artists Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar and Ammannur Rajanesh Chakyar.

Ranjith will don the role of Sankukarna, the garden keeper of Ravana who is frightened to death after seeing the destruction of the Ashoka Garden by Hanuman. Rajanesh on the other hand will demonstrate the role of Ravana. Koothu and Kudiyattam are among the oldest performing art forms that were formulated in Kerala’s cultural context for the purpose of staging Sanskrit plays.

Koothu is the form presented by a single actor or actress, while it is termed Kudiyattam when more than one actor (and actress) takes part. A unique aspect of Kudiyattam is that only women are allowed to portray the female characters theatre at a time when all the other classical theatre traditions all over the world had allowed only male actors, even for female characters.

Percussion instrument known as Mizhavu is the major accompaniment for Kudiyattam. The accompaniment given by mizhavu helps to enhance the portrayal of the subtle bhava-s and rasa-s in Kudiyattam. Besides the Bhasa plays, many other Sanskrit plays including Kalidasa’s ‘Abhijnana Sakuntalam,’ and ‘Vikramorvaseeyam’ were enacted as Kudiyattam.