Madras Players’ Kamalakshi weaves together music, dance and theatre to narrate the travails of a devadasi

The life of a devadasi in theatre format

The auditorium reverberated with the sound of audience applause as the curtains rose to reveal an artistically-crafted temple on stage for the play Kamalakshi. Lighting designs were by Victor Paulraj and stage decor and props, Shanmugham. Written by Sujatha Vijayaraghavan and directed by P.C. Ramakrishna, the play set in the  late 19th Century, dealt with the story of Kamalakshi (Sumitra Nitin), a devadasi dancer, and Sivaguru, a  singer at the famous temple of Tiruvarur.

The play opened with the festivities in a temple. The men and women of the village await the arrival of dancer Kamalakshi, who is to be inducted for her ‘Potukattu’  ceremony, which would dedicate her to the temple for a year of service or seva. She is decked up in finery and arrives dancing in front of a palanquin carrying the idol of lord Thyagesa of Tiruvarur. Her beauty and dance attract the people assembled there, and especially charm two men — singer Sivaguru (Sikkil Gurucharan), and Sugavanam, the local mirasdar.

Soon, Arvathamma, the dancer’s mother, and Neela, Kamalakshi’s friend, are introduced, and two full-length songs — ‘Tyagaraja yoga vaibhavam’ and ‘Theruvil varano’ — performed.

The bond that develops between Kamalakshi and Sivaguru;  an infatuated Sugavanam aspiring to be the dancer’s patron; the dancer resisting the pressure from her mother to yield; and her total surrender and devotion to lord Thyagesa, leading to her shedding her mortal remains, form the broad storyline.

Kamalakshi brings together  live music, dance and drama — a ‘first’ in English theatre, according to the brochure. 

Sikkil Gurucharan was at ease while singing, but looked out of his comfort zone while delivering dialogues. Sumitra Nitin, a Bharatanatyam dancer, slipped into her role of Kamalakshi, dancing and emoting with the necessary  conviction. But, one felt the characterisation of the leads could have gone beyond.

Anuradha Ramesh as the mother,  Parur Ananthashree as the friend, Hyma Ramakrishna as the rich woman, S. Ram as the Mirasdar, and Krithivasan as Sivaguru’s friend impressed with their portrayals.