Kutiyattam Episode: Kamshavadham (review)

Kapila is a very promising young artist. This VCD was shot informally during a performance at Natana Kairali, a center for traditional arts founded by her father G. Venu. He offers a fifteen-minute introduction to the performance. Venu not only narrates the story Kamsavadham (The slaying of Kamsa), but also notes that activities like killing an enemy and preparing for war are usually reserved for male performers. But the acting text for nangiar kuttu (solo female form of kutiyattam ) requires showing these scenes.

A full rendering of the drumming that typically precedes a kutiyattam performance (about ten minutes) follows. Kapila's performance lasts about an hour. Someone who had viewed the Invis VCD of Margi Sathi would find it interesting to compare the different choices the two artists make in interpreting identical material.