The master of Valour

Entry 02

Synopsis: Kutiyattam– the only surviving form of Sanskrit theatre with the history of at least one thousand years and recently proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Limited for centuries to the temple theatres of Kerala, Kutiyattam was tied for a long time to traditional tastes and modes of appreciation that were progressively getting more and more outdated. However, in the latter half of the twentieth century, a number of visionary artists engaged in heroic efforts to take this unique from of theatre out of its traditional ritualistic contexts and to present it to the world at large. Led by Painkulam Rama Chakyar, the iconoclast who first brought Kutiyattam out of the confines of the temples, this group of visionaries included such stalwarts as Mani Madhava Chakyar and Ammannur Madhava Chakyar. Following them in their footsteps were their disciples and students who went further in bringing this exceptional theatrical form to the attention of the world.

Kalamandalam Sivan Nambuthiri, the first non-Chakyar to learn Kutiyattam at the Kerala Kalamandalam under the late Painkulam Rama Chakyar, is one of the foremost Kutiyattam artists of the present generation. For the last four decades, he has continued in the footsteps of earlier stalwarts and strived to be the torchbearer of centuries- old tradition. An expert in the heroic roles, he has earned a pride of place in the hearts of the most contemporary connoisseurs of Kutiyattam.

Sivan Nambuthiri is the proud recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, the Central Sangeetha Nataka Academy fellowship, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award, the Kaladarpana award, and the first Mallika Sarabhai award instituted by the Darpana Academy, Ahmedabad have all the come his way. Though already a grandfather in real life, Sivan Nambuthiri is still relatively young on the Kutiyattam stage. He has decades of performance awaiting him, decades that shall definitely add to the richness of Kutiyattam history.

This documentary depicts the life of this great performer in Kutiyattam.