CHEMEEN KATHAKALI

CHEMEEN KATHAKALI

How can Chemmeen do without Palani, one of the main characters in Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's magnum opus who was made memorable in a film on the novel by none other than legendary actor Sathyan? Two scenes on the m fisherman is being inserted into ‘ Karuthammayum Pareekuttiyum ', the 45-minute Kathakali performance on the love story between Karuthamma and Pareekutty that forms the central theme of Thakazhi's novel. The Kathakali performance has been staged twice so far. Kalamandalam Ganesh of Natyakala, Alappuzha, who plays Karuthamma in the Kathakali, says the new version will now stretch to one and a half hours and will have three incidents from the novel. “The performance begins as earlier with Karuthamma coming to see Pareekutty to bid him goodbye, a day before her wedding to Palani. In the new version, there will be a scene where Palani quarrels with Karuthamma over what he hears about her from others and then hastens to sea for fishing where he meets his end.

“The last scene, also the last one of both the novel and the film, where Karuthamma and Pareekutty decide to end their lives together is being added for the new version,” he says.The task is not easy as Mr. Ganesh has still to chart out how to stage the death scene of Palani. For this, he banks on his 37-year-long experience in Kathakali performances. “We will be using the ‘dandakam', (a narrative with extra-long metrical feet) to tell what happened between the first scene of Karuthamma bidding good-bye to her lover and Palani quarrelling with Karuthamma in the second scene,” he says. The earlier version of Kathakali was first performed at a literary festival held in connection with Thakazhi's birth centenary at Ambalappuzha last month. There is also a performance this month of the earlier version.The new version is scheduled to be performed at Thriprayar near Thrissur on June 9. “The audience appreciated the depth in depiction of the love and the bidding of good-bye between the two lovers in the earlier version. Many said the performance brought out the bond of love between Karuthamma and Pareekutty,” he says. Mr. Ganesh is also undecided still on whom to cast as Palani. A new version of ‘Karuthammayum Pareekuttiyum' will be staged at Thriprayar on June 9, 2012.

                                  Prof. John Kurakar