KOCHI: From Damayanti in Mahabharata to Sancho Panza in the Spanish classic Don Quixote, veteran Kathakali artist Margi Vijayakumar has enlivened numerous characters on stage. But now, for the first time in his four-decade-long career, Vijayakumar is playing a character which portrays himself. The character, however, does not have the resplendent make-up which Vijayakumar is used to, since feminine characters are his forte. Instead, it is of a common man in ‘Jagratha’, a short film created by the Margi Theatre for Covid-19 awareness. “I have never done a part that is so strikingly similar to my life. I enacted my story—in fact our story—of living in this pandemic-struck world,” he said.
The play was written and choreographed by Vijayakumar himself. “I was a bit apprehensive when our secretary S Sreenivasan mooted the idea. But after some thought, I accepted the challenge. Since it was my first attempt in writing, I sought help from writer V R Prabodhachandran Nair,” he said. The play begins with the coronavirus, the central character, unleashing its wrath and threatening mankind. The character, donning the ‘karutha thaadi’ make-up that is generally used to portray primitive beings in kathakali, is presented by Margi Suresh. “It is the same as the ‘Kali’ character in ‘Nalacharitham’ play. It represents an ominous problem that is hard to solve,” he said.
The common man is in ‘minukku’ make-up. He prays to Lord Maha Vishnu to save mankind from the pandemic and then enters a saviour. The saviour is in the graceful make-up used to portray noble and divine characters. He advises the commoner to wash hands, wear a mask and practise social distancing. The saviour is symbolic of the government and health department that help people escape the pandemic. In the end, the virus loses the fight and leaves the world. Margi Balasubramanian donned the saviour’s role. Artists are among the worst-affected by the virus spread, says Vijayakumar.
“It is almost certain that artists like us will not get a stage for the rest of the year. Life would be extremely tough. My character expressed my own pain,” he said. Accompanying artists are Kalamandalam Krishnadas (Chenda), Margi Ratnakaran (Maddalam), Kalanilayam Vishnu (rendering), and Margi Raveendran Nair (chutti). Recording was done at Invis studio. Margi treasurer S Sasikumar opined that the play was commissioned by the Union Ministry of Culture. It would be telecast on TV channels and the social media platforms, he said.