A touch of Japanese in Kathakali

KOCHI: Next time you watch kathakali depiction of the Pandavas' plight after losing Draupadi in a game of dice, you will get to hear Duryodhana cry out loud, "Fecchi (fetch) Draupadi." Kathakali is set to get a Japanese voice, with a touch of Kabuki, a traditional Japanese popular drama. And if one wonders why should the traditionally-rich kathakali get a Japanese tad, the reason lies in the similarities between the two.
Stylised gestures, symbolic and exaggerated movements of body parts, colourful and dazzling costumes, elegantly designed wigs and make-ups and refined body movements are some of the common heritage of these classical art forms of Kerala and Japan. Just like kathakali, the presence of the male actors brilliantly presenting women characters is a specialty of kabuki.
"Dance and art forms don't have any barriers. I am working on a fusion of kabuki and kathakali, as both have a surrealistic feel. I will not change the structure of either but will introduce kabuki to bring in dialogues so that audience can connect with characters and it will have more impact," said director of Cochin Cultural Centre Sarath Kumar Nedungadi. He had recently been to Japan to study kabuki and is coordinating with kabuki artists to recreate the story of Mahabharata on stage. by combining kathakali and kabuki.
"Mahabharata is a global subject and it has significance in everyday life. I am trying to create a fusion not for any commercial reasons but due to an artistic desire to evolve the dance form further,and evolution is an on-going process" said Nedungadi.
A fusion of rich emotive expression of Indian classical dance with intricate movements of western classical dance is something that has been adopted by Westerners. It is no wonder that the number of artists coming from Europe, America, Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, England, Australia, Mexico, Japan, Canada and Korea to learn kathakali have increased over the years. "Foreign theatre artists mainly come to Kerala to learn various nuances of Kathakali. such as its costume, expression, body and eye movement and make-up.
They then use them in their art forms that give dance and theatre a global appeal. We should also combine kathakali with other art forms to take it to a global platform by ensuring that we never leave its structure," said Kalamandalam John.
His exposure to several western dance forms inspired him to start exploring the common traits between them and kathakali and create a new fusion variety. Recently, he created a fusion of kathakali and Italian art form. Comedia dell'arte, to present an innocent boys story through expressions and traditional instruments.
However, Kerala Kalamandalam vice-chancellor Dr PN Suresh believes that such a fusion is not good as kathakali will lose its gravity and essence.