Kurukshetra


From Kuruk­shetra. On the still (freeze-frame): Sadanam Bhasi (Krish­na) and Sadanam Kris­hankut­ty (Arju­na) in “Gitopade­sham” (2014)

Kuruk­shetra (‘the land of the Kuru dynasty’) is the site of a bat­tle tak­ing place between two fam­i­ly clans, the Kurus and the Pan­davas, the cen­tral fig­ures of the Mahab­hara­ta. The Kathakali Kuruk­shetra por­trays the prepa­ra­tions for the war and the final out­come with the dec­i­ma­tion of the Kurus. Kuruk­shetra is adapt­ed from the Kathakali Mahab­hara­ta, with the addi­tion and expan­sion of the Gitopade­sham (the Bha­gawad Gita). The Duta (mes­sen­ger) scene (not shown in this ver­sion) fea­tures a scene addi­tion from Duta Vakhyam (the Envoy), a San­skrit play by Bhasa.

Kuruk­shetra pre­miered at the Stu­dio The­atre of the School of Fine Arts and The­atre (Thris­sur, Ker­ala) on Novem­ber 29, 2014.

Pro­duc­tion: Danse Kalashas in part­ner­ship with the School of Fine Arts and The­atre, Uni­ver­si­ty of Cali­cut, Thris­sur cam­pus, Ker­ala, India. Thanks to Narayanan Vin­od, Nali­nan Pil­lai, K. K. Gopalakr­ish­nan and the Shas­tri Indo-Cana­di­an Institute.