Fantastic colours, demonic garbs, quivering facial muscles, face paint unlike any you’ve seen before, expressions more surreal than sane and frenzied dance. The clash of cymbals and the urgent peal of insistent drums bid you welcome to the world of Kathakali.
Kathakali is believed to have been conceived out of the fundamentals of the dramatic dance form called Krishnanaattam, which means the dance of Krishna. Derived from the Malayalam words “katha” which translates to story and “kali” which means play, Kathakali is literally the enactment of stories through the medium of dance. More than a mere drama, beyond the realms of simple dance, Kathakali, has been defined by the poets of yore as a three dimensional poem. A veritable theatre of poetry. Best exemplified by the various modes of address that the characters employ in their graceful dialogue with one another. Not by their proper names or even pronouns, but by descriptive expressions and eloquent phrases.
And so when King Nala addresses his wife Damayanti as “Kuvalaya Vilochane, Baale, Bhaimi, Kisalayaadhare, Chaaruseele”, he is actually describing her as “You with the eyes like the blue water Lilly, young girl, daughter of King Bheem, with lips like the tender leaves, good natured one”. Adjectives emanating as literary poetic expressions and re-created as visual poetic expressions using intense facial expressions, vibrant hand gestures and elegant bodily movements.
Kathakali combines five artistic elements that cover the entire gamut of non verbal expression and communication.An entire treatise known as the Natyashastra on the science of facial expressions has been compiled. In Kathakali too, facial expressions have been classified into nine expressions or the “Navarasas”.
Shringaaram or love
Haasyam or humour
Bhayam or fear
Karunam or pathos
Roudram or wrath
Veeryam or valour
Bheebatsam or disgust
Adbhutham or amazement
Saantham or tranquility
Kathakali dancers undergo special practice during their intensive training period to master control over their facial muscles and eye movements. Quivering eyebrows, emphatic eye movements and staccato facial contortions come together on the face of the Kathakali artiste in the ultimate dramatic display.
The entire Kathakali story is narrated not through mere words and expressions but through a series of elaborate hand gestures known as mudras. With the fingers on one hand tipped with extended shining steel nails, these mudras accentuate the dramatic interest of the performance. While there are 24 primary hand gestures or mudras, the various combinations of gestures using both hands account for almost 470 gestures in all.
Kathakali borrows several elements of concentration, skill and physical stamina from Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala. A Kathakali artiste has to undergo rigorous training for several years in order to master control over his bodily movements and transform his body into a malleable instrument of expression. Flexible, supple and responsive to the numerous postures and complex positions required during the entire dance performance. This fluidity can only be attained if the artiste submits himself to extensive training right from childhood, when his bones and joints are softer and more responsive to movement.
The verbal narrative of the Kathakali performance is achieved through the stirring voice of the lead singer. Through the traditional musical style known as Sopanam, the lead singer, called “ponnani” and his back up vocalist called “singidi” perform a musical rendering of the Kathakali tale. They use the “Chengala”, a bell metal gong struck with a wooden stick and “Ilathaalom” or cymbals to dictate the tempo of the performance.
Percussion instruments are the only musical instruments used as accompaniment in Kathakali. The instruments are cleverly manipulated to emphasize expressions rather than merely render rhythm. So, a staccato beat on the Chenda or drum could symbolize the explosive anger of Arjuna or a thunderclap while the cymbals crash in tempestuous time to the quivering eyebrows of the enraged character on stage. Under the expert ministrations of these maestros every instrument becomes one more voice in the rendering of the timeless tales of yore.
Vivid splashes of Red, gold, green and black, dramatic creatures suspended in disbelief by their demeanour and adornment, the very act of beholding a Kathakali performance is an experience next to none. And for the artiste? A metamorphosis into a character out of Indian mythology. A transformation so complete, that the person is sacrificed at the altar of the persona.