Reddi Lakshmi’s fusion of Kuchipudi, Kathakali enthrals Palakkad

Kuchipudi dancer T. Reddi Lakshmi wows Palakkad with a Kuchipudi-Kathakali dance drama, emphasizing the intense conversation between Ravana and Sita.

Kuchipudi dancer T. Reddi Lakshmi delighted the art enthusiasts of Palakkad by presenting a Kuchipudi-Kathakali dance drama at Rapadi open air auditorium as part of the Swaralaya Samanwayam dance and music festival on Thursday.

“I chose to collaborate with Kathakali because of the intense drama element as well as the elaborate makeup and movements it involves,” said Ms. Lakshmi.

Although the story of Ramayana has been said innumerable times by different artistes in different forms, Ms. Lakshmi gave emphasis to the intense conversation between Ravana and Sita. “We always see Ravana abducting Sita, and Rama coming and rescuing her after defeating Ravana. Rarely did we get to see the conversations between Ravana and Sita. I found this segment quite unexplored, and tried to do justice to Kuchipudi through Vachikabhinaya,” she said.

The hour-long dance drama titled ‘Sita-Ravana Vaadam: the war of words’ was premiered in Delhi with several characters. But Ms. Lakshmi thinned the number of characters by streamlining the cast to three in Palakkad. When Ms. Lakshmi donned the role of Sita in Kuchipudi costume, Kathakali artistes Margi Suresh and Kalabhavan Atul presented Ravana and Hanuman respectively.

“I found Kathakali the best art form to portray a mighty personality like Ravana. And the artistes did justice to it,” she said. With her dancing and abhinaya prowess, Ms. Lakshmi beautifully integrated the theatrical grandeur of Kathakali with the expressive Vachikabhinaya of Kuchipudi.

The show began with Hanuman, portrayed as the Sootradhara or narrator, eloquently introducing the tale. This was followed by the Sita Pravesha Daruvu in Telugu, which portrayed Sita as an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi.

The narrative then shifted to the dramatic episode of Ravana abducting Sita. This pivotal scene delved into the intense dialogue and interplay of emotions between the two characters.