Loka Shakuntala
How difficult it is to deliver a slightly lengthy dialogue, or more than that, a lengthy monologue, sustaining everybody's interest, is known too well to the actors and the spectators alike. But, for Yakshagana with its live and interesting extempore dialogues this is not so much of a problem.
In the 'spoken part' (Vaachika) of Yakshagana, an actor can move from one level to another unobtrusively while delivering one and the same speech: as a character at one movement and as an actor at another, and at some other moment again as the very conscience of the spectator, he could keep shifting the base of his speech. The different levels of meaning the speech acquires thereby is really extraordinary.
Generally, the spoken part (Vaachika) in Yakshagana does not become a mould of sentiments getting enacted in its entirety, the way it happens in our plays; instead, it gets delivered as if it were dispassionate or neutral. Here in a way, the actor goes on supplying the 'lines' (dialogues) to the spectators: and they, in turn, will have to 'recreate' these lines perceiving their intent, considering the context and the rhythm. Even this technique of directly compelling the spectator to be creative is really extraordinary.
Many an element I have spoken of above has, in practice, been left out forever either unknowingly of under the illusion of reformation. Moreover, as a result of having customarily produced only certain mythological pieces all along, these very productions have come to limit the scope of the medium of Yakshagana. Now a belief has taken root quite firmly that this medium is good only for portraying battle scenes brimming with actions of courage and valour, or for expressing strong sentiments lacking in subtleties. But no one has ever bothered to note the wide scope for expression that Yakshagana offers in its original form. And those who have tried to transgress the limitations of the current productions have only succeeded in creating a feeling of nausea what with their absurd and childish stories of ghosts, miracles and so on.
With all this in mind and with the view of adapting the elements of Yakshagana to drama, I had directed a few stage-shows making a beginning with children's plays. The experiments of Dr. Shivarama Karantha who has 'resurrected' yakshagana - gave me confidence. And the recent production of B.V. Karantha impressed me.
When I was interested in experimenting with the new theatre using the elements of yakshagana, the ones that are currently in practice and the ones that are out of practice, it was but natural to have occurred to me that the medium of yakshagana accommodating the opposites like marga and desi (the classical and the folkish), naatyadharmi and lokadharmi (the scripture-following and the mass-taste-following), and, the ornamental and the real and so on appeared to me to be best suited for recreating on stage the many layered, compact experience which Shakuntala had made me to undergo.
My purpose who to share me experience with my fellowmen, and hence, it became necessary for me to attempt at creating a new work of art by choosing certain elements from yakshagana the same way as I did from "Shakuntala".
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