Brihanalla – Arjunaโ€™s Disguise by Bhaskarโ€™s Arts Academy, Singapore ย in collaboration with Amrita Performing Arts, Cambodia

The audience at Esplanade Theatre Studio was treated to a feast on 5th November 2017! The sumptuous visualย spread included Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Cambodian dance and the audioย rangedย from musicย specially commissioned for the event, traditional Cambodian musicย as well as Kathakali Sopanam music.

A double โ€˜Trinity Anubhavaโ€™ as rightly mentioned by the Artistic Director Santha Bhaskar. She reminisced aboutย a performance in 1994 in front of the Angkor Wat temple and the desire to further explore inter-cultural and multi-disciplinary exchange.ย  The guest of honour, the Cambodian ambassador, mentionedย after the show, that the flawless merging of the Indian and Cambodian cultures was a beautiful experience that he enjoyed.

Comprising of 5 Acts interspersed with wittyย commentary by a contemporaryย Sutradhar, Tharmendra Jayaraman, who remindedย the audience of how the characters in theย Indian epics were far ahead of their times,ย in that they accepted those falling on the either end of the bell curve as easily as they accepted that which is considered โ€˜normalโ€™ by societyโ€™s standards. Are we as accepting and broad-minded in todayโ€™s modern society is a point to ponder.

Act I started with a Bhartanatyam performance by Indraโ€™s Apsaras, in honour of his son Arjuna, beautifullyย interspersed with Cambodian dance by Sor Sophal who played Arjuna and Nam Narim who portrayed Urvashi. Arjuna spurns Urvashi and she curses him to be a eunuch for the rest of his life. Indraโ€™s intervenes and the curse is reduced to being a eunuch for 1 year of his life and at the time of his choosing.

Act II moved the audienceย into the 13th year of the Pandavaโ€™s exile and introduces Kathakali through Bheema and Panchaliโ€™s character. The performances by Malini Bhaskar and ensembleย as Brihanalla and her students was a melodic and harmonic treat to watch.

Act III marked the entry of my favourite Kathakaliย character of the evening – Keechaka – performed by Kalamandalam Biju. Though he played a negative character,ย his โ€˜abhinayaโ€™,ย the sounds he produced,ย his entreaties and pursuit of Draupadi endeared him to most of the audience. Bheema and Draupdadi hatch a plan which ends in โ€˜Keechaka Vadhamโ€™ the death of Keechaka. Throughout this act the Sopanam music of Kathakali presented as a duet by vocalistsย TV Sajith and TK Arun (I think)ย ย added richness and grandeur to the performance.

Act IV portrayed how Brihanallaย helps the hapless Matsyaย Prince fight the mighty Kurus as charioteer and later asย archer. The dancers moved into a moreย martial dance form with a glimpse of shadow dancing portrayed the backdrop. That and the lighting effects added to the warย atmosphere.

Following theย victory over the Kurus,ย  the Vth Act celebratesย the wedding of Arjunaโ€™s Son with Uttara the princess of the Matsya Kingdom,ย endingย the performance on a happyย highย note.

The seamless integration and movement from Bharatanatyam to Kathakali to Cambodian dance by the artists, the equallyย synchronous instrumental and vocalย support and the mood changes reflectedย perfectly with theย  lighting was a highlightย throughout the performance