It’s a tale of vendetta, perhaps the most engaging of the Kathakali repertoire. The spectacular sequences from ‘Dussasana Vadham’ will unspool before the delegates in a unique dance drama format at the inaugural ceremony of 16th IFFK. Revelling in mystique and intrigue the show ‘Destiny’s Dice’ is conceived and choreographed by noted filmmaker T K Rajeev Kumar.Based on Vayaskar Moos’s adaptation of the master epic, it chronicles two crucial scenes in Mahabharatha involving the game of dice and Bhima avenging Draupathi’s disgrace.“Dussasana Vadham is an extreme drama episode starting with Duryodhana’s embarrassment. It moves on through Sakuni’s treacherous dicing, Dussasana dragging and disrobing Draupati, her disheveled hair and omnious vow, Pandavas’ exile and incognito, and finally the mighty war and the downfall of kaurava dynasty,” says Rajeev Kumar.In the final part Bhima transforms into fierceness personified Roudra Bhima. Dussansana dies an inglorious death at the hands of Bhima who drinks his blood out of the entrails and roars out in rage.“Since the chain of events will consume hours to perform the whole episode has been edited without spoiling the tempo. Certain events are accommodated in the prologue and using padams,” he says.The highlight of the show will the presence of 25 Kathakali characters on stage unlike the regular performances. Instead of limiting the Kauravas to two or three, there will be an array of characters including Gandhari, Dronar, Kripar, Shalyar, Bheeshmar, Durmughan, Dushkarman and Dussala.“We are presenting on stage ten Kaurava characters which will be something out of the box. Their costumes and accessories has been fixed after consulting Kathakli maestros and everything from the distinctive make-up to the type of uthareeyam has been decided accordingly,” says Rajeev Kumar.Rajeev Kumar says the show has been orchestrated without diluting the conventional format of kathakali.“There are no deviations from the traditional Kathakali norms and there is no contemporary kink in the making. There are no additional fixtures to pollute the purity of the traditional art form either,” he says. The show will have all the five types of characters - pacha,kathi, kari, thadi and minukku - played out on the stage by artists from Kalamandalam. Kalamandalam Narayanan Kutty will appear on stage as Dussasana while Kalamandalam Balasubramanyan will play Roudra Bhima. Kalamandalam John, Kalamandalam Kesavan Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Manoj and Kalamandalam Shanmukan will give life to pivotal characters like Duraudhanan, Sakuni, Dharmmaputhar and Panchali.Another speciality of the 23-minute show is use of arc lights that will illuminate the stage at Nishagandhi. “The lights and the technical support will accentuate the element of drama. The whole show is designed in way to create a grandiose ambiance,” he says.
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