The past few decades have witnessed several innovations and experiments in attakatha writing and presentation on the Kathakali stage. However, only a few have won appreciation from the audience. One among them is Ayyappacharitham, a play written by CA Warrier.
The play, written five decades ago, focusses on the tale of Lord Dharmasastha of Sabarimala. It was first choreographed and staged by PSV Natyasangham, Kottakkal. The theme of the play was new and it was well received by the audience. The institute recently staged Ayyappacharitham to mark the 50 years of the play.
While it takes six hours to stage the tale of Ayyappacharitham, the edited version performed by PSV Natyasangham was four-and-half-hours long. The play, which has been divided into two parts, has episodes that narrate the birth of Manikandan, his meeting with Vavar and his transformation into Lord Ayyappa.
Ayyappacharitham was choreographed under the guidance of Kottakkal Krishnankutti Nair, a former principal of the Natyasangham.
He was ably assisted by Kottakkal Vasu Nedungadi and Kottakkal Kuttan Marar. Krishnankutti Nair donned the role of Soorpaka, a kathi vesham, the central character of the play. When Krishnankutti bid adieu to the stage, the role was taken up by Kottakkal Chandrasekhara Warrier.
In the recent staging of the play, Kottakal Devadas, a known Chuvanna thadi artiste, made his début in the lead role with élan. The artiste was in control of the character right from the thiranokku. The scenes depicting Soorpaka, an Asura king, meeting Sage Sukran and his penance showcased Devadas’s energy. The timely laughs and roars, integral to kathi veshams, were a treat to watch. The scene with Lord Siva depicted his versatility in Lokadharmi. He showed maturity while performing the ‘pathinja padam’ [slow tempo] in the scene with Mohini.
Kottakkal A Unnikrishnan handled the role of Lord Siva with ease. His fine use of mudras was a highlight of his performance. Kottakkal Rajumohan as Mohini (Lord Vishnu) stole the hearts of the audience with his abhinaya and expressive eyes. While the first half of the play ended with the birth of Lord Manikandan to Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu, the second half began with Manikandan reaching the safe hands of king of Pandalam and his wife.
Kottakkal Haridas was perfect in the role of the king, while Kottakkal CM Unnikrishnan as Manikandan left an impression on the audience. Manikandan’s fight scenes with Vavar (played by Kottakkal Sudheer), was a mix of Kathakali and Kalaripayattu, something new on the Kathakali stage. The costume donned by Vavar was also different.
Kottakkal Narayanan, a senior musician and disciple of Kottakkal Vasu Nedungadi, who had composed the music, was the lead singer. His classical style of rendition stood out. The second half of the play had Kottakkal Madhu as the main singer. Kottakkal Prasad and Panamanna Sasi were on the chenda and Kottakkal Ravi and Kottakkal Radhakrishnan on the maddalam.
The play was staged on the premises of the Kottakkal Viswambhara Temple.