KOCHI: The pandemic has shifted almost everything online, even art and craft. In a similar move, Mumbai-based performing arts company, First Edition Arts, is on a mission to take Kerala’s traditional art form Kathakali global. The team has come up with a virtual Kathakali fest titled ‘Decoding Kathakali’ in association with Pennsylvania State University, Society for Indian Music and Arts (SIMA), Nirthya, Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego (IFAASD) and the Indian Classical Music Society of Vancouver (ICMSV).
As part of the project, a total of nine films were produced by First Edition Arts. They will feature conversations, performances and live interactions with veteran Kathakali artists from across the state.
The ongoing festival will also screen four recorded performances — Prahlada Charitham, Dance of Damayanthi (from Nala Charitham), Dushasana Vadham (from Duryodhana Vadham) and Usha and Chitralekha (from Banayudham). The performances are ticketed and will be streamed exclusively on the digital platform viewcy.com on August 27 and 28.
According to Devina Dutt, the art curator and co-founder of First Edition Arts, the project was envisaged by Arijit Mahalanabis, a Hindustani singer and founder of SIMA at Pennsylvania State University, last year. “He had plans to invite Kathakali artists to the university and thus introduce the art form to the students. But the pandemic ruined this plan. So he reached out to us and suggested making films that will document the art form and its history,” she said.
Apart from archiving vital details regarding the origin and evolution of Kathakali, the screening hopes to make it popular around the world. “The entire project was made possible by a grant from Penn State University’s University Park Allocation Committee, ” she added.
For Devina, the greatest challenge was overcoming Covid restrictions and coordinating with around 30 Kathakali and percussion artists spread across the state. Documentary filmmaker K Ramachandran. who became the curator and advisor of the project, came to her rescue. “The films were shot at the Koothambalam of an eco-resort in the Arratapuzha village in Thrissur. Adhering to Covid protocol, we completed the screening and performances,” said Devina.
The short films have conversations and demonstrations by acclaimed artists like Kalamandalam Shanmughan and scholars like V Kaladharan. The cholliyattam, Kathakali music, expressions and makeup are other subjects that will be touched upon by the veterans. “There are subtitles to help foreign audiences understand better. Kathakali artists like Kottakal Devadas, whose fearsome manifestation of Narasimha, remains one of the highlights of Prahlada Charitham performance. Kalamandalam Hari R Nair who played Dushasana with blood-curdling intensity in Dushasana Vadham is yet another wonder of the series. The videos will be available on the digital platform till September 5,” said Devina.