KOCHI: Among Guru Ammannoor Madhava Chakyar’s invaluable contribution to koodiyattom is a handful of talented young performers who preserve and popularise the 1000-year-old Sanskrit theatre. Usha Nangiar is his most brilliant disciple who could learn the basics and intricacies of koodiyattom and nangiarkoothu directly from the guru. Through a dazzling performance of ‘Poothanamoksham’ at Vyloppilly Cultural Centre the other day, Usha once again proved her mettle in the art form.
When Bank Employees Art Movement Ernakulam (BEAME) organised the show - a rare combination of the expressive emotions of Usha in tune with the rhythmic accompaniment of mizhavu by her husband V K K Hariharan - connoisseurs were taken to Ambadi where Poothana’s attempt to do away with little Krishna was foiled by Krishna’s divine power. Usha used the infinite possibilities of ‘pakarnnaattam,’ a unique acting technique one can find only in koodiyattom, for the spontaneous transformation from a deceptively lovable Lalitha, who approaches little Krishna with a pretentious tenderness, to the terrible Poothana. Hariharan breathed life into Usha’s expressive acting moments through the controlled and communicative rhythm of the mizhavu. While concluding the performance with the climax scene, the death of Poothana, Usha adopted the inimitable style of Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar to portray the death scene of Bali in the famous koodiyattom ‘Balivadham’.
Kalamandalam Rajiv supported Hariharan on the mizhavu while Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan was on the edakka.
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