
BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
PLACENTIA, CA - What can one expect when South India’s talented actress Suhasini Mani Ratnam together with danseuses Krithika Subramanian (Bharatanatyam) Gopika Verma (Mohiniattam), and Yamini Reddy (Kuchipudi) perform on stage? Certainly, a mix of cultural throwbacks and theatrical extravaganzas. October 20 was one...
PLACENTIA, CA - What can one expect when South India’s talented actress Suhasini Mani Ratnam together with danseuses Krithika Subramanian (Bharatanatyam) Gopika Verma (Mohiniattam), and Yamini Reddy (Kuchipudi) perform on stage? Certainly, a mix of cultural throwbacks and theatrical extravaganzas. October 20 was one...
such night when SoCal audiences of around 350 queued up to watch the 90-minute confluence of dance, music and theatre in the multilingual ‘Antaram’ at the Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District Performing Arts Center, here. The evening was filled with storytelling as narrator Mani Ratnam transported her audience from an Air India plane bound for Dubai, to 13th century Madurai to the 16th century kingdom of Bijapur. She kick-started the evening with the act of the air hostess, who prevented young Amina from turning into a child bride for an older Arab. She demanded of the audience, “This has to stop”! The scene then shifted to ancient Penugonda where the story of Vasavi, a young girl was narrated through Yamini Reddy’s Kuchipudi. As the story goes, Vasavi attracted the attention of the evil king Vishnuvardhan, but resisted his advances. Through her act, Reddy effortlessly switched between the roles of the young, innocent Vasavi and the haughty, lusty Vishnuvardhan, finally leading to her transformation from a mere mortal to Goddess.
Act 2 showed Mani Ratnam as a housewife, grandmother and mother who bears the whims of her highly educated and accomplished husband, and others in the family only to be called ‘just a housewife’ later. Next, began the journey of Andal — a woman who did everything she wanted; even if it meant marrying Lord Vishnu. Here, Bharatanatyam exponent Krithika Subramanian played the impish, playful Kodhai, who fancies Lord Vishnu as her soulmate and finally achieves her every wish through devotion. With great maturity, Subramanian portrayed the Divine.
In the third act, Mani Ratnam turned into a feisty Kannagi who burned a city down, after being widowed because the king unjustly put her husband to death. Showcasing the legend of Attuval Bhagavathy legend of Kerala was Gopika Verma, who through her evocative act reduced the city to ashes and swam across the river to take refuge in Attukal, Kerala, where she is revered as a Goddess, even today. The dazzling abhinaya of Varma and her costuming was effective.
The fourth and last act was of Mani Ratnam as Rambha, a 16th century courtesan- scholar-dancer, who bewitched emperor Adil Shah and leaped to her death when Adil Shah did not build a place for her in his tomb. The more powerful moment of the evening might have been when the four performers danced together at the culmination of the show. The pre-recorded music was an eclectic mosaic of songs by famed composers and singers, A.R. Rahman, Rajkumar Bharathi, O.S. Arun, Hyderabad Brothers, and Arun Gopinath.
The show was presented by Shrishti school of performing arts based out of Irvine. Artistic director of Shrishti, Charulatha Jayaraman addressed the gathering at the start and end of the show and said, “Thanks to the help and support of the Shrishti family, we hope to bring more such classy performances to Los Angeles ” Shekhar Viswanathan of the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego honored the artistes and the crew. He dubbed the show, “a brilliant concept by combining three classical dance forms and theatre with unique storytelling.” Notably, IFAA is the organizer of the ‘Antaram’ tour in the US.
Act 2 showed Mani Ratnam as a housewife, grandmother and mother who bears the whims of her highly educated and accomplished husband, and others in the family only to be called ‘just a housewife’ later. Next, began the journey of Andal — a woman who did everything she wanted; even if it meant marrying Lord Vishnu. Here, Bharatanatyam exponent Krithika Subramanian played the impish, playful Kodhai, who fancies Lord Vishnu as her soulmate and finally achieves her every wish through devotion. With great maturity, Subramanian portrayed the Divine.
In the third act, Mani Ratnam turned into a feisty Kannagi who burned a city down, after being widowed because the king unjustly put her husband to death. Showcasing the legend of Attuval Bhagavathy legend of Kerala was Gopika Verma, who through her evocative act reduced the city to ashes and swam across the river to take refuge in Attukal, Kerala, where she is revered as a Goddess, even today. The dazzling abhinaya of Varma and her costuming was effective.
The fourth and last act was of Mani Ratnam as Rambha, a 16th century courtesan- scholar-dancer, who bewitched emperor Adil Shah and leaped to her death when Adil Shah did not build a place for her in his tomb. The more powerful moment of the evening might have been when the four performers danced together at the culmination of the show. The pre-recorded music was an eclectic mosaic of songs by famed composers and singers, A.R. Rahman, Rajkumar Bharathi, O.S. Arun, Hyderabad Brothers, and Arun Gopinath.
The show was presented by Shrishti school of performing arts based out of Irvine. Artistic director of Shrishti, Charulatha Jayaraman addressed the gathering at the start and end of the show and said, “Thanks to the help and support of the Shrishti family, we hope to bring more such classy performances to Los Angeles ” Shekhar Viswanathan of the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego honored the artistes and the crew. He dubbed the show, “a brilliant concept by combining three classical dance forms and theatre with unique storytelling.” Notably, IFAA is the organizer of the ‘Antaram’ tour in the US.