Kathakali, which we can say the motion of artiste filled with emotions.
Kathakali is a form of dance and drama which developed from ancient temple art forms in the 17th century. Our ancient heritage has been preserved in the Kathakali plays. It describes Hindu epics in the form of drama and makes it easier for the common people to understand it. It looks very simple and beautiful but on the other hand, it takes a lot of hard work and complexity of the artiste for preparation of one play. The facial makeup is so typical, elaborate, and complex that it takes about 3-4 hours to do.
Meditation before the performance
To keep in mind everything, we planned to start from the make-up session and entered the makeup room of Kathakali, where we could see a sudden change in the environment. Artists were getting ready in the middle of a big hall. There was light lamping on the corner of the hall which shows they do worship before starting their work. This was my first time enjoying all the parts of Kathakali from make-up to the stage where all the artists act as per their character and through this golden opportunity, I got the chance to capture all the moments with my camera.
Where it all begins..
An artist smiles, when he knows his art is beautiful
Lots of space and a peaceful environment inside the room added beauty to the faces of the artists. Two make-up artists were helping them to get ready but some of them were doing themselves by taking a look in the mirror after each touch-up. Color and design on the face of artists were differentiating their character. After a few minutes, an old artist came and started to do his make-up himself. He was doing everything very fast as he painted his face with yellow color within 10-15min. The experience was speaking through his motions and emotions. I liked all of his expressions and started to follow him. As he is very popular in Ettamanur, Kerala so, people were coming to talk with him and appreciate his art.
The real happiness is, when you become someone you pray
When someone appreciates your art
I almost covered all the transformations of this old man and moved to the stage courtyard where all the artists were going to perform on stage. I was waiting for that artist to come on stage. When he entered I wondered to see his energy. He just spread his artful emotions all over the courtyard. didn’t want to miss a single expression of his. So, I was running in front of the stage to cover his performance from various angles. In between I got to know that he was playing the role of Narada.
People love to see the dance & drama of artists in Kathakali. Especially when artists like this old man perform. Expressions are enough to express the whole story. It was a great experience to cover the Kathakali event organized at Ettamanur. Here are some of the photo sequences of the artiste.
The last stage of transformation
Depiction of ethic
When two artist meets, the art evolve
The artists leave, but the art remains
Greetings from the almighty
Copyrights: All the photos and text in this post are copyright of Mrinal Bhushan, Bihar and Creative Hut Institute of Photography and Film. Their reproduction, full or part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of rightful owners.
