Ravana in a different light

Throughout history, villains are always castigated as evil with nothing else to their life than the stories of their wickedness and malice recounted. Stories after stories, adaptations after adaptations, unfold their tales of malevolence. Often, it is forgotten that they too are human beings with human emotions and feelings.
The epic Ramayana portrays Ravana as an iniquitous king who abducted Sita and kept her captive — a vindictive king who invited battle and fury to the land with his lust, overpowering his obligation to his subjects. Ravana is loathed by people for his sinister maneuvers. The play Lanka Lakshmi, second of the trilogy based on Ramayana by renowned playwright C.N. Sreekantan Nair, reamins evasive of this popular belief in its portrayal of Ravana, instead directing mainly to his other human facets of life.

The magnetic Bharatanatyam danseuse Rajashree Warrier and  famed lyricist B.K Harinarayanan have paired up to enact Lanka Lakshmi as a dance drama in Bharatanatyam form. Combining Sanskrit and Malayalam, they have used Manipravalam style in choreographing the work. Rajashree Warrier defies the confirmity of traditional dance forms and undertakes the challenging journey of creating new spaces through her artform. “It’s a journey through the mind of Ravana. Drifting away from the stereotypical portrayal of Ravana as the 10-headed and 20-armed king, Lanka Lakshmi is more of a depiction of Ravana as a human being with the several roles he played out in his life,” she narrates.

They did the performance twice before on stage and have added more elements to it this time. “Ravana was brother to Shoorpanaka, husband to Mandodari, father to his son Meghnaad. Apart from his often heard stories where Sita and Rama come to mind, none of his other lived-in experiences are depicted with its true emotions and ardor. This is where Lanka Lakshmi stands out.”

The concept came to her a few years ago, around 2009, and she discussed it with her friend B.K. Harinarayanan, who was then a poet and hadn’t started out his stint as as a lyricist. He composed the prose into lyrical form and she helped with the music. “I started this off as an experiment as well as a challenge. This was way before I had made my debut in films as a lyricist. Sanskrit has always been dear to me as I was brought up in a family that cherished Akshrashlokams and Kathakali. It had a huge influence on me from childhood. We have also included folk elements into it, taken from the Tamil Chinth styles. This was an opportunity where I could try something new and I am looking forward to its reception,” he says. The performance will be held today as part of Rangarajeevam— an event to felicitate the renowned Kathakali maestro Sri Peesappilly Rajeevan’s forty years in the field. The programme will be held at Kunnamkulam Town Hall from 6 pm.