Alekhya Punjala retells the tale of Ravana’s wife, Mandodari

Kuchipudi

exponent

Alekhya Punjala

and her troupe brought to life the tale of Ravana’s wife

Mandodari

with an eclectic dance-drama at

Ravindra Bharathi

recently. The performance captivated the audience with its sprawling set design, theatrical performances and colourful attires of the artistes. The one-and-half-hour-long recital narrated the story of Ravana’s third wife — her dilemmas, struggles and highlighted how she always wanted Ravana to walk the path of righteousness.

Alekhya, who played the titular character, charmingly displayed Mandodari’s love for her husband and how she inspired Ravana’s sons —Meghanadha, Atikaya and Akshaya Kumara, to become great warriors.
While most of the cast comprised students of

Trishna Kuchipudi Dance Academy

, the dynamic character of Ravana was essayed by Chinta Ravi Balakrishna, an acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer and scholar.
Talking about the experience of portraying the character of Mandodari, Alekhya Punjala says, “Mandodari was a complete woman who stood by her husband no matter what. We worked hard on this production for more than a year and the journey had been an wonderful one.”