Larger than life

The audience waited with bated breath to get the thrill of experiencing a Koodiyattam performance by Kapila Venu, the famed daughter of Irinjalakuda near Thrissur, in the dimly lit hall of Gem Cinema, in Entally in Kolkata. As expectations soared, the performer came in from behind the thirasila — a multi-coloured flexible curtain — which was removed to reveal Kapila Venu, the Koodiyattam artist, who would soon perform her reinvented Saundarayalahari, the divine feminine, in the solo narrative style of Nangiarkoothu artists, who perform the female roles of Koodiyattam theatre.

Starting with brisk eyebrow movements, she expressed her love feelings through Nethrabhinaya which is taught painstakingly in Koodiyattam. Breath control — a special technique in the form — was employed while portraying multiple characters. To create the right ambience for different emotions, Kapila recited swaras in a way, which is typical of Koodiyattam. The sparkle in Shiva’s eyes when smitten by love, to gaining quick control over it and opening the third eye to reduce Kamadeva to ashes were theatrical renditions perfect to the minutest detail in rousing the awe of the onlookers. Burning of Kamadeva to ashes displayed Shiva’s fury were etched with each eye muscle contracting and expanding and the movements of the cheek muscles twitching vividly and convincingly was enough to rouse fear in the audience. The audience sympathised with Parvati’s futility in love and her subsequent penance to win his love was acted out to its last detail. There is no emotion which cannot be expressed through Koodiyattam. The clear diction of Koodiyattam left no room for the lack of understanding of the storyline.

Moment of reckoning

After her ordeal, the moment of reckoning came when Shiva appeared in person to dissuade Parvati from her decision to desire him as a husband, only to ask for her hand in marriage. At once Kapila was the handsome Shiva; she was the beautiful Parvati; she was the one to blow the conch shell; she was the flautist; she was the veena player; the mridangist and then the elegant couple inseparable from each other — the Ardhanariswara.

Though she performed a larger than life art, her poise, restrain and balance was maintained throughout. The finesse and precision was the hallmark of her renderings of soft and delicate emotions, while strength was displayed with equal élan.

In the fashion of a Sanskrit drama, she recited a shloka at the end of the show, wishing goodwill to the assembled rasikas.

The story elaborated the first verse of Adi Sankara’s poem “Soundarya Lahari”, which builds up the mythological tale of Shiva and Parvati’s wedding. She was accompanied on the mizavu, edaka and kuzhitalam.

Though trained in several art forms like Kalaripayattu, Mohiniattam, Kathakali and theatre puppetry, to be a Kudiyattam artist was the first choice of this very talented student of Ammanur Madhava Chakiyar, who was instrumental in bringing out the form for the first time outside the temple precincts.