|     |
|
| |
 ‘Madhavi’ by Amritha Jayakrishnan - Vinu Vasudevan e-mail: vinuvasu73@gmail.com Photos: Sreeraj T September 11, 2024 Adapting classic literary works into dance forms or visual media is a well-traversed step for many classical dance artistes. Many of our classics have been adapted into dance-dramas and solo dance productions. A new addition to this genre is ‘Madhavi,’ a solo dance production based on the famous poem ‘Swayamvaram’ by the late Malayalam poet ONV Kurup. A one-hour Bharatanatyam dance production based on the poem was presented last week by London-based artiste Amritha Jayakrishnan, granddaughter of the poet. The program was organised by Kerala Fine Arts Society. Madhavi is a lesser-known character from the Mahabharata who symbolizes female rebellion. Amritha has adapted for her solo production, this soulful tragic poem about one woman’s fight for the freedom of choice. She took Madhavi’s story because of its social relevance and the common struggles faced by women past and present. Through this production, Amritha hopes the audience will question whether the future of women will remain the same. Madhavi was a beautiful princess born to King Yayati. She was gifted at birth with two boons -- eternal virginity and the power to bear sons who will become kings. The story begins with Galavan, a disciple of Saint Viswamitra, who was set an impossible task by his guru to bring 800 white horses with one black ear as dakshina. Galavan goes to King Yayati's kingdom to secure the horses. But with no such horses to offer, and to protect his honour, Yayati suggests that Galavan take his daughter Madhavi instead. Galavan took Madhavi to three kingdoms and she was forced to bear sons for three kings in return for the horses. Galavan thus fulfilled his mission by giving the horses to his guru. Galavan returns Madhavi to King Yayati who arranges a swayamvaram for his virgin daughter. In a blazing speech, Madhavi bids goodbye to her present life and chooses the forest as her abode.  The performance by Amritha, a dancer well trained in Bharatanatyam, had the flavour of a dance-drama with the narrative more focused on abhinaya. It was an ideal mix of acting and pure dance. "I chose some elements from Bharatanatyam to express some of the feelings, and adopted some acting techniques too. But I never wanted to lose the essence of traditional Bharatanatyam throughout," Amritha said. The elements of dance techniques from Bharatanatyam stood out particularly when she essayed character transformations. The most impressive part of the performance was the choreography done by Amritha’s teacher Vidhya Subramanian. Amritha's control of space and use of body were admirable in scenes where Madhavi unwillingly surrenders to the three kings and when she gives birth to her three children. "During the choreographic process for this section, Vidhya Akka advised me not to over-rehearse these portions as they may become mechanical and lose their innate vulnerability. So each time I perform this on stage, I try to keep it fresh and free flowing. The impact of such situations will be more effective this way, hopefully," she added.  Amritha had maintained the sthaayi bhava of the story with her evocative expressions and stylized techniques. A red dupatta (shawl) that she used throughout the performance as both a prop as well as costume was apt for the situation. The shawl also played a key role in Amritha's effective transformations from one character to another. Another key highlight of the production is the music composed by Bhagyalakshmi Guruvayoor, with an excellent score created with a good mix of ragas. The music was beautiful and soothing. Ragas like Hamir Kalyani, Ahiri and Neelambari were the pick of the evening. Amritha says she has always been drawn to her grandfather's literary works even from her childhood days. "I have always been fond of my grandfather’s poetry - especially their premonitory capacity for the fate of humankind. I really wanted to bring this fictional, lesser-known story to the forefront and question whether the reality of today’s woman is any different to Madhavi’s story," she said.  Vinu Vasudevan is a freelance journalist, art critic and a documentary maker. He has worked in a number of television channels between 1996 to 2013. Presently he is working as the Faculty of Journalism in Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and Culture for their Post Graduate programs. He is also a regular writer in 'The Hindu', 'The India Art Review' and leading Malayalam publications. |
