Victory of virtue over vice in Koodiyattam, filmi style

New Delhi, Apr 23: Classical arts have such strength to transcend cultural borders that spirited performance by their practitioners can itself act as a wondrous antidote to mere money-minded motives of marketing them for a global audience, if the message of a recently-made Malayalam film is anything to go by.

Directed by middle-aged Sashi Paravoor, the two-hour film, which was premiered in the capital, comes as a happy contrast to celluloid treatment of traditional arts where the maestros are generally pictured as fallen heroes bogged by a maze of guile and hard luck on and off the stage. "Nottam" has its central character, Vasudeva Chakyar (played by the versatile Nedumudi Venu), overcoming a series of ominous episodes, both in his artistic and personal life, ahead of his maiden trip abroad with fellow Koodiyattam artistes.

''Basically, I have felt hurt to see the way market forces, who have no love for any heritage, dictate terms and pocket dollars by taking advantage of the unsuspecting nature of genuine masters of our arts. Koodiyattam may have won UNESCO recognition but it is no exeption to the trend,'' says Sashi, a lawyer by profession.

''It has been painful to see how custodians of great lineage succumb to such tricky pits. I thought it was high time one responded, and very forcefully that. As for me, this is the best way I knew,'' adds the Thiruvananthapuram-based filmmaker whose first work ''Kaattu Vannu Vilichappol'' (When The Breeze Came Calling) too, made three years ago, was noted for its gentle crank of the camera.

As if not to disturb the placid beauty of a two-millennium-old form like Koodiyattam that essays epic stories, Sashi has ensured that no shot in the film stands out of sync with the unhurried pace of the film, about to be released. There is very little ruffle in portrayal -- be it emotionally charged scenes like the unexpected death of Unni, Chakyar's simpleton pal and trusted co-actor on the stage, or the irreverent way drunken VIP guests walk in to watch Koodiyattam.

Sashi, who has the screenplay for the film written along with Salim Mankuzhy, has chipped in casual dialogues that in fact lend glimpses of the depth of impression Koodiyattam leaves in the mind of its artistes even in day-to-day life. For instance, when Chakyar is gifted with a red US-made shawl by his son's friend Aby in his pursuit to persuade the artiste cooperate in a Koodiyattam documentation, the guru says, ''Nice. If necessary, I can use this as the 'yavanika' (stage curtain) as well.'' In another scene, Unni, when introduced to the America-raised Aby by Chakyar's son Vishnu during their stay at the latter's house, reciprocates with humour characteristic of the Chakyar community.

''A,B; Aby. So you're two persons rolled into one, eh?'' says Unni, sensitively enacted by comedian Jagathy Sreekumar.

The film has intelligently given a romantic touch to a historical reality. The serene central Kerala countryside, which has been the homeground of a leading school of Koodiyattam, comes as an handy locale for "Nottam" to revel in a resplendent succession of wideangle shots.

The lush-green semi-hilly terrain of the Chakyar's village off the broad Bharatapuzha river also forms the backdrop for a couple of songs budding from affairs that develop between Aby and Vishnu's sister Abhirami, besides Vishnu and Gauri, the only daughter of Nambisan (M R Gopakumar), a vital organiser of Chakyar's Koodiyattam institute named Natanagramam.

Nevertheless, care has been taken to check any intrusion of these lighter moments into the core of the story.

It is another matter that the songs in the film fetched the Kerala state awards for the best lyricist and male and female singers. Notable among them is 'Melle', tuned and sung by the young M Jayachandran, delving into the complexities of a silent love that Chakyar, as a youngster, cherished for his neighbour and co-actress Saraswathy Nangiar, played by reputed Koodiyattam artiste Margi Sathi.

With the film having been mounted in the ethos of Koodiyattam, the director finds it pertinent to anchor it with a scene that shows the art form in detail and majesty. The dramatic climax of popular play "Balivadham" finds focus as an integral part of the story of "Nottam". Mr Menon (acted by Janardhanan), the business-minded manager of the Koodiyattam team that is preparing to cross the Atlantic Ocean for a string of shows, has no idea of the presentation part of "Balivadham".

In his crass, loud-mouthed style, he sums up the plot, thereby indirectly giving the film viewers an idea of the story.

The late arrival of a minister delays the show much to the irritation of the artistes but Chakyar had by then developed other ideas. Donned as Bali, he goes for an involved piece of acting as the monkey-king dies a slow death after being struck by an arrow from Lord Rama. The part is so effectively enacted that the audience, for a while, think that Chakyar, not just Bali, is dead.

And then, the maestro winks his eyes and rises with a smirk on his face painted with red and green. A symbolic expression of the ultimate triumph of his art.

UNI