Writer : Vijay Padaki Direction : Shatarupa Bhattacharyya Cast : Pooja Sreenan, Anoushka Gupta,Tania Thomas, Nazar Abul Hassain, Sridhar Ramanathan, Shubam Srivastava and others
THE ANKLET Review
An epic has many dimensions. Director Shatarupa Bhattacharya and adapter Vijay Padaki have added a new dimension to the Tamil epic poem Silapatikaram. The Anklet an adaptation from the classical work traced to the fifth and sixth centuries and attributed to the Cheran prince, Ilango Adigal, has been interpreted in feminist terms in this English production by Bangalore Little Theatre.
The original story, in the tradition of Sangam literature, is a celebration of Tamil culture and values like chastity, honesty, as well as the ethics and morality of governance. Kannagi, a chaste and virtuous wife, welcomes back her errant Kovalan after he ends his passionate infatuation with the courtesan Madhavi. Having lost his wealth in the pursuit of the courtesan and facing contempt in local social circles, Kovalan and Kannagi decide to leave town and make a new beginning in the big city of Madurai. The uncomplaining Kannagi offers Kovalan one of her anklets to sell and raise capital to set up a business. As Kovalan tries to sell the anklet, fate and the king's jeweller conspire to deem him a thief who stole the queen's missing anklet. He is summarily executed. Kannagi's righteous anger at this humiliation and injustice becomes an inferno that burns down the city.
Shatarupa's feminist concerns are expressed through her interpretations of the character of Kannagi and that of the courtesan. Kannagi is portrayed as a proud woman who values her self-respect. Interestingly, the courtesan Madhavi is treated with sympathy. Her avarice is toned down by references to her profession and her love for Kovalan is presented as being pure. Kovalan's redemption comes with remorse and suffering and a realization that passion carries only sorrow.
The ethos for this modern interpretation of an ancient classic is laid out by the stage design where traditional lamps blend easily with computer animation. The music in the background is gentle and pleasant. Kannagi's transformation from a worried wife to an avenger seeking justice for her innocent husband is convincing. It brings out the universal nature of morality and ethics. Shatarupa's feminist interpretation is a useful reminder that in any era, whatever the prevailing value system, a crisis of morality remains a harbinger of destruction.
Jamuna Rao is a Bangalore-based writer and publisher.
