Vishrutha Vijayakumar, just over 10 years and donning roles in Kathakali that require certain amount of maturity as a performer, is certainly an encouragement to students of the classical dance. And her guru FACT Biju Bhaskar says she has talent to become a good artiste.
It is her grasping power of the ‘thaala’ that helps her learn and perform roles in the dance-drama art form, he says. As she is very young, roles that can be performed by children are chosen, he adds. She started learning Kathakali early at the age of four with an institution in North Paravur run by Sathy Sreekumar.
There was an apprehension whether she would be taken as a student at that age, says Sindhu Vijayakumar, Vishrutha’s mother. But, given her sense of ‘thaala’, she was admitted, she adds. Her arangettam — the first stage performance with Purappad — was at the age of seven.
Learning individually under her guru now, she has essayed the roles of Krishna in Rukmini Swayamvaram and Subhadraharanam, Prahaladan in Prahaladacharitam, Maathali, the charioteer of Indra in Kalakeyavadham, and now a ‘Kathi’ vesham with the character of Ravana as a boy – Kutti Ravanan. She performed on Thursday at Kesaveeyam 2019, the memorial organised by Edappally Kathakali Sadas to mark the 10th death anniversary of Kathakali chenda maestro Kalamandalam Kesavan.