Nostalgic bhavas of a great artist...Gopi on a trip down memory lane

Sreedevi — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:34:41 +0000

Performing on the same stage where he was initiated into the art of Kathakali after almost four decades, Kalamandalam Gopi seemed to be in a nostalgic mood while rendering the love-struck king of Nishadha in ‘Nalacharitam Onnam Divasam’. The venue was Koodallur Mana, near Pattambi in Palakkad district, the audience comprised of the kith and kin of Gopi’s mentor Koodallur Brahmadattan, a.k.a Kunju Namboodiripad and the occasion was a family wedding reception.
A sense of dé- jà vu seemed to grip the artists and the audience alike, even those who were performing and watching at the Mana for the first time. The atmosphere of a typical performance of almost fifty years ago was replicated, as Gopi’s exquisite ‘bhavas’ portrayed the anguish of King Nala, as he pined for Damayanthi and is unable to find solace in his royal duties. The soulful lines of Unnayi Warrier were rendered by Kalamandalam Babu Namboodiri, with Kalamandalam Vinod as his sinkidi, with Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan and Ravisankar accompanying on the chenda, and Kalamandalam Prakash on the maddalam. Margi Vijayakumar played Damayanthi, and Kalamandalam M P S Namboodiri played the legendary ‘Hamsam’.
In his autobiography, Gopi has given his readers a vivid description of his early Kathakali training days at Koodallur Mana under Thekkinkattil Ravunni Nair; the long, grueling hours, the intense training sessions and the customary hard punishments, all of which made Gopi almost turn his back on art. In his words right after the performance last week at Koodallur Mana, “It was the love and affection he (Brahmadattan Namboodiripad) showered upon me that made the artist you now know as Kalamandalam Gopi”.
The Kathakali training center or Kalari was set up in Koodallur Mana in the late 1940s, under the aegis of Brahmadattan Namboodiripad, a Kathakali enthusiast himself. Many stalwarts like V P Ramakrishnan, Kalamandalam Balan, and Pothayath Raman Namboodiri etc were initiated into Kathakali in this ancient house of learning, once renowned for its Sanskrit scholars and Vedic studies. Reminiscing about his younger days, an emotional Gopi told the audience how he used to accompany his mentor to all Kathakali performances, and recalled with gratitude, the constant encouragement he got to improve his art to perfection. Though the Kalari was open for only four years, and Gopi himself trained there for two and a half years, he continued to keep in touch with the family, and sought guidance from Namboodiripad until the latter’s demise in 1975.
Gopi, who has won this year’s State Kathakali Award instituted by the Government of Kerala, was visibly touched declared it as the highest recognition he could ever receive when the eldest of Brahmadattan Namboodiripad’s sons presented him with a shawl belonging to their father. Indeed, as one of the audience rightly put it, Kottakkal Sivaraman playing Damayanthi and Gangadharan as Ponnani would have made the performance just as it used to be in the early days of Gopi’s ascent to fame, and when Namboodiripad used to occupy the front seat watching the great artists of his time bring mythology to life.

The Indian Movie and its Audience!

Sreedevi — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:28:15 +0000

The film industry in India has always prided itself on the fact that our movies address specific problems of the society and have themes that try to root out social evils. Revolving around the evergreen theme of Prince Charming and Cinderella, many Indian movies have skillfully interwoven the grappling issues of society in context.

Look back at the good old days of sentimental melodrama of the Bollywood fifties sixties and you will find the likes of Sujatha topping the list! The servant’s daughter is driven out for being wooed by the son of the house, but returns at the climax to donate blood to the family member! Moral of the story - blood doesn’t discriminate between the castes! This film was even screened in many schools across the country to spread awareness about the caste discrimination in the country. Coming to South India, you saw similar themes enacted by the veteran actors like Prem Nasir, Sarada and other actors of their genre. This trend has developed through the decades with just the circumstances of the hero and heroine changing to address the problems of the day. We also had poignant movies that portrayed unemployment and the problem of the jobless young man and the red tape that has tied itself round our bureaucrats.

That is, until recently. Two Malayalam movies released in 2006 and which drew quite large crowds to the theaters sets you thinking about the messages we get from the silver screen and the impact it could have on our society.

Chintamani Kola Case (Chintamani Murder Case) and Chess, starring Suresh Gopi and Dileep respectively addresses the crimes of today’s society for sure. But do we really need to tackle it the way these heroes do in their respective movies? Does murder solve it all?

Suresh Gopi, a reputed lawyer, the aide and ally of criminals and rapists, rescues them from the clutches of the law to teach them a lesson himself. In other words, brutally murder them. And so does common-man Dileep, though for a different reason - he is avenging the murder of his parents!

We have seen similar plots before, for example, Naduvazhikal starring Mohanlal, but the hero surrenders to the police after his purpose is done. And in Kireedam, you had Mohanlal serving a sentence in prison for killing the town goon on the spur of an emotional moment!

The striking fact about Chess and Chintamani Kola Case is the fact that the murderers go scot-free despite the best efforts of the police force. Admittedly, the police are not portrayed as the best examples of righteousness, but the earlier movies at least sent it across that you need to abide by the law or face the consequences.

Most of these movies hit the theatres under the banner of ‘Family Entertainers’ and subsequently have children and teenagers forming a bulk of the audience. Are they sufficiently aware of the fact that it is not possible to escape the law unlike their stars on the screen? More disturbing is the very message that comes across to the audience. Not only can you get away with your revenge, but it is also the right and only way to deal with criminals and perverts.

This brings us to the timeless chicken-egg question: Are movies reflecting the violence in the society or are the people taking cue from the movies? We have heard of teenagers resorting to killing and plundering in the West, allegedly re-enacting scenes from Holly wood movies. Should we now start contemplating such a situation in our country now?

It is important for the media to send the message across that crime invites and deserves punishment, irrespective of the perpetrator. Otherwise, we might just be in store for more shocks from a desensitized generation and might just have to see more incidents like the murder of a school master in front of his students in Kerala or that of a politician at the hands of his own brother in Mumbai.

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Nostalgic bhavas of a great artist...Gopi on a trip down memory lane

The Indian Movie and its Audience!