Green Kerala: Kathakali

In Fort Kochi we saw a performance of Kathakali, a traditional style of theatre from Kerala. It originated in the 16th century (more or less at the same time as Shakespearean drama). The name Kathakali comes from the Malayalam (local Kerala language) words "katha", religious story, and "kali", play or performance.

Actors in Kathakali do not speak, so they rely on elaborate makeup and costumes, marked facial expressions and eye movements, as well as advanced choreography that comes from martial arts to tell stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. The story is sang in Malayalam by a narrator to the beating of drums and ringing of bells. All actors are men, so the different colors in makeup guide the audience to who is who in the play: yellow is woman, red is evil, green and red is hypocrite, and so on.

Kathakali was traditionally performed in religious festivals and temples, but nowadays more and more it is performed in theaters and in shorter versions of the original stories. It is very impressive to see the makeup and the gestures of the actors; and once you get used to the loud drums it is quite enjoyable.

The story we saw was about an evil prince who wanted to take advantage of a princess (who was in diguise as a servant). With the help of her husband they trick him and kill him. Serves him right.