‘Kamalakshi’, the play that captures the lifetime of a devadasi, was staged at Narada Gana Sabha. in Chennai.
| Photograph Credit score: Ravindran_R
The auditorium at Narada Gana Sabha reverberated with applause because the curtains rose to disclose an artistically-crafted temple on stage for the play Kamalakshi. Shanmugham (stage decor and props) and Victor Paulraj (lighting) should be complimented.
The English play written by Sujatha Vijayaraghavan and directed by P.C. Ramakrishna is ready within the late nineteenth Century. It offers with the story of Kamalakshi (Sumitra Nitin), a devadasi dancer, and Sivaguru, a singer on the well-known temple of Tyagesa in Tiruvarur.
Bharatanatyam artiste Sumitra Nitin as Kamalakshi danced and emoted with the required conviction. A scene from the English play ‘Kamalakshi’ staged at Narada Gana Sabha.
| Photograph Credit score:
Ravindran_R
The play opens with festivities in a temple. The women and men of the village await the arrival of Kamalakshi for her ‘Potukattu’ ceremony (dedicating to the temple for seva). She is decked up in finery and arrives dancing in entrance of a palanquin carrying the idol of Tyagesa. These assembled there, particularly singer Sivaguru (Sikkil Gurucharan) and Sugavanam (mirasdar) are charmed by her magnificence and dance. Kamalakshi dances to 2 full-length songs — ‘Tyagaraja yoga vaibhavam’ and ‘Theruvil varano’. Additionally current are her mom Arvathamma and good friend Neela.
The bond that develops between Kamalakshi and Sivaguru; an infatuated Sugavanam aspiring to be the dancer’s patron and the dancer resisting the stress from her mom to yield; and her complete give up and devotion to Tyagesa, resulting in her shedding her mortal stays, type the broad storyline. The play reminds of the favored 1968 Tamil movie, Thillana Mohanambal.
Sumitra Nitin (Kamalakshi) and Anuradha Ramesh (as her mom) in a scene from Madras Gamers’ English play ‘Kamalakshi’ staged at Narada Gana Saba, Chennai.
| Photograph Credit score:
Ravindran_R
Kamalakshi brings collectively reside music, dance and drama — a ‘first’ in English theatre, based on the brochure.
Being a Carnatic vocalist, Sikkil Gurucharan is comfortable whereas singing, however doesn’t appear to be at his greatest when delivering dialogues. Bharatanatyam artiste Sumitra Nitin dances and emotes with the required conviction. Nonetheless, the characterisation of the lead roles might have been fleshed out higher.
Anuradha Ramesh, who performs the mom, Parur Ananthashree because the good friend, Hyma Ramakrishna because the wealthy lady, S. Ram (mirasdar), and Krithivasan as Sivaguru’s good friend impress with their portrayals.
A scene from Madras Gamers’ English play Kamalakshi that options Sikkil Gurucharan and Sumitra Nitin.
| Photograph Credit score:
Ravindran. R
Whereas recreating a selected historic timeframe, the story needs to be checked out from an insider’s perspective, whereas visible detailing by way of costume, jewelry and units ought to reprise the period.
On condition that temple festivities would usually embody folks from diversified strata of society, seeing all of the male characters uniformly attired in dhoti-kurta rankled. A colored stole on musicians’ shoulders as a substitute of an angavastram? And a Tiruvarur temple priest sporting a kurta?
Regardless of the apparent effort, the play didn’t land effectively due to a couple of causes. The very premise — narrating the story of a devadasi — has already been completed efficiently a long time in the past in Thillana Mohanambal, and so this additionally appeared outdated.
The depiction of the devadasi right here was from the notion of an outsider. Although Kamalakshi’s character was written with empathy, the play would have, maybe, made a deeper influence had the script provided a deeper perception into the persona of a dasi, and the travails and anguish she experiences as compared to different ladies from diversified backgrounds.
Nonetheless, some scenes stand out, particularly the one the place the wealthy lady seeks an extension of the dancer’s tenure to safeguard her from the mirasdar. Additionally, Kamalakshi’s outburst, elevating questions concerning the standing of these like her, additionally touched upon the core points referring to the lifetime of devadasis.
In direction of the tip, when Kamalakshi merges with Tyagesa, one feels the religious significance of her artwork, the message behind the play, may be conveyed extra strongly.
