The anguish of Karna

Playwright Bhasa has insightfully portrayed the complex psyche of characters such as Karna and Duryodhana, boldly deviating from the conventional narratives of the Mahabharata. But in the traditional repertoire of Koodiyattam, Bhasa’s Karnabharam (or The Anguish of Karna) has probably remained inconsequential for long.

However, in a recent performance of the play choreographed by Margi Madhu Chakyar, it came out as visual poetry with dramatic undercurrents. The play was staged on the opening day of the three-day Koodiyattam Festival held at Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, Edappally, under the auspices of the Kutiyattam Kendra of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.

The play unfolds the cloudy mindscape of Karna, the protagonist, who hears from Kunthi the shocking secret behind his birth. As one determined to annihilate Arjuna, the realisation that Karna is actually the eldest of the Pandavas becomes heart-breaking for him. Madhu’s enactment of Karna’s multiple emotions carried an exceptional density. The sequences in which Madhu presented Karna’s vindictiveness against Arjuna, his moral dilemma caused by Kunthi’s revelation and his recollection of the days of tutelage under sage Parasurama and its ill-fated culmination were noteworthy.

Twin qualities

Madhu’s success on stage is inextricably linked to his two qualities — internalisation and integrity. In the presentation of Karna’s emotions, these qualities proved to be pivotal as the character called for a competitive exercise of both angika and satwikabhinayas. Through his upangas, Madhu’s eyes could communicate expressions of vengeance, affection, anguish, ambivalence and indebtedness evocatively. His pakarnnattam as Karna and Kunthi intermittently left a deep impression in the minds of the spectators.

Nepathya Vishnuprasad as King Salyar who drives the chariot was composed as the character who stealthily stood by the Pandavas. The melam, led by Kalamandalam Manikandan on the mizhavu and Kalanilayam Rajan on the edakka, lent gravity to every moment on stage. Whether it was the tightening of the bow-string, the sound of the rolling chariot or Parasurama’s curse on Karna, it appealed to the audience as an auditory feast.

P.K. Narayanan Nambiar   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Preceding the play, nonagenarian P.K. Narayanan Nambiar, son of the late legend Mani Madhava Chakyar, presented a patakam in which he narrated the story of Rajasooyam, highlighting characters such as Krishna, Dharmaputra and Sisupala.