COSTUME AND MAKE UP

Kathakali has a unique dress code. The nature of the dress and the make up the actors wear reflect the personality of the characters. There are five categories of characters in Kathakali. They represent the ‘devas’, ‘human’ and the ‘asuras’. Much care is taken in the costume. The faces of the main characters are painted with bright colours. Gods, Kings, and Heros have green faces.
In terms of the make up the characters are classified into five types. They are “Pacha’, ‘Kari’, ‘Katti’, ‘Thadi’, and ‘Minukku’
Pancha(Green): The divine and heroic characters have green faces. There will be black markings around their eyes. The forehead bears the sacred mark of God Vishnu. They also wear ‘chutti’ that consists of white paper and rice paste. They also wear ‘Kirita’ (crown) on their head. Krihna, Rama, Leva, Kusa, Lakshmana have this make up.
Kari (Black): The evil women characters have black faces. There will be red and white dots as well.
Katti (Knife): Evil and impudent characters have this make up. However, they are high born and to indicate this, their make up is basically green. They have a red knife like marking on the face. The white knobs on the nose and the forehead indicate that they are evil basically. Ravana, Duryodana, Keechaka belong to this category.
Thadi (Beard): There are three types of ‘Thadis’. ‘Chuvappu Thadi’, ‘Velutha Thadi’, and ‘Karutha Thadi’.
‘Chuvappu Thadi’: This indicates the vicious nature of the character. The upper half of their face is painted black and the lower half is painted red. They have very big mustache.
‘Vella Thadi’: This represents a particular type of being higher than human. He has white and black patterns on the face. The green colour on the nose indicates that he is pious. Hanuman is the important character with the White beard.
‘Karutha Thadi’: This indicates that the characters are hunters and the people living in the forest. Their faces are painted black and red. They have flowers on their noses. The evil ‘Kali’ of the ‘Nalacharitham’ is the only character with the black beard.
‘Minukku’: It indicates that the character is a gentle one. Their face is painted in yellow. Brahmins, sages and messengers belong to this category.
The people of Kerala know the stories on which Kathakali is based. And they can follow what is going on the stage without much difficulty. It does not mean that it is very difficult to appreciate Kathakali. The stories are not that complicated or difficult to find. Here we have included some of the most famous stories as an introduction.

STAGES OF KATHAKALI PERFORMANCE

Kathakali owes much to ‘Koodiyattam’. Many of the steps, the methods of acting, the ‘Mudras (the typical gestures or signs with the hands), are borrowed from Koodiyattam. It may be said that Kathakali is a form of art where the elements of ‘Nrutham’, ‘Nruthyam’, ‘Natyam’, ‘Vadyam’, ‘Alekhyam’, ‘Silpam’ have joined together in appropriate proportion. To be precise Kathakali belongs to the category of ‘Nruthym’. “Nruthyam’ is based on what is called ‘Padarthabhinayam’. Padarthabhinayam is the way of acting with the help of the “Mudras’, that explains the meaning of the words. ‘Natyam’ is based on what is called ‘Vakyarthabhinayam’, where the dancer seeks to express the meaning of the words through different ‘Bhavas’ (facial expressions especially).
A Kathakali performance has eight parts. They are:
(1) The Keli
(2) The Arangu Keli
(3) The Thodayam
(4) The Vandana Slokam
(5) The Purappadu
(6) The Melappadam
(7) The Kadhabhinayam
(8) The Dhanarasi.

The Keli:-It is the first part. In this part the people living in the area are informed that a Kathakali is going to be staged that day. This is done with the help of various drums such as ‘Chenda’, ‘Maddhalam’, ‘Chengila’, and ‘Elathalam’.
The Aangu Keli: - Once the traditional ‘Vilakku’ (Traditional Lamp) is lighted on the ‘arangu’ (stage), Arangu Keli is performed by the ‘Madhalam’ player. It is also called ‘Kelikkai’, ‘Sudhamadhalam’ and ‘Ganapathi kottu’. ‘Chenda’ is not used at this time. After the Arangu Keli, the stage is covered with ‘Thirassila’, (curtain, a piece of cloth held by two people).
The Thodayam:- This is a rite to please the gods. The singers sing songs in praise of gods and two ‘Minukku’ actors without any make up dance according to the songs.
The Vandana Slokam: - After welcoming the audience, the ‘Slokas’ from the Aatttakkadha’ is sung.
The Purappadu- Earlier, the main character of the drama was introduced in this part. The ‘Vesham’ (character) who is introduced on the stage at this time will always be a good one.
The Melappadam:- After ‘Purappadu’, begins the ‘Melappadam’. A ‘geetham’ (kind of song), from the famous ‘Geethagovinda’, is sung on this occasion. Two drummers display their skill for about half an hour. Gong and cymbals are also played during Melappadam. This also serves as an occasion for the drummers and singers to exhibit their talent and proficiency.
TheKadhabhinayam:- Kadhabhinayam, follows the Melappadam. This part is further divided into two.. They are ‘Cholliyattam’ and ‘Elakiyattam’ respectively. The part in which the actors act with the ‘mudras’ in accordance with the singing of the singers standing behind, is called ‘Cholliyattam’.
The actors improvise the story before and after the Cholliyattam, to make the performance smooth. This is called ‘Elakiyattam’.
The Dhanarasi: - This is the last part of the performance. In this part a character dances in praise of god.
The Stage:
Unlike the dramas and many dance forms, Kathakali does not require a big, sophisticated stage. It can be staged on a stage erected temporarily. Earlier, it was a single traditional lamp that can light up the face of the actor of average height that provided the light required on the stage. But now modern lightings are used the stage. The ‘Thirassila’ (curtain) is a rectangular piece of cloth held by two people just before the beginning of the drama and between the scenes

EVOLUTION OF KATHAKALI

Evolution of Kathakali:-
Like any other form of art, Kathakali also evolved over the years, before it assumed the present day form. Scholars have modified the structure, the costumes, and the musical instruments used so on of the dance drama. It was the Vettathu Raja who reformed it first. He was able to make Kathakali one of the popular forms art in Kerala. Vettathu Raja urged the performers to give up ‘Vachikabhinaym’(verbal content) and adopt ‘Bhavabhinaym’(facial expressions) instead. He also brought about changes in the costumes. He also introduced the drum called ‘Chenda’. Earlier ‘Madddalam’ was the only drum used in the dance-drama.
Kathakali became the most popular form of art with the changes ‘Kottayathu thampuran’ (a local prince of Kottaym) introduced. Everyone did not accept the changes he effected. Many actively opposed it. The ‘Aattachittakal’ (rules of the art), that he implemented is known as ‘Kalladikkodan Sampradayam’( Kalladikkodan Method). During the reign of Karthika Thirunal Ramavarma many remarkable changes were introduced. He invited Kaplingattu Namboodiri, a great scholar and asked him to put the stories of Ramanattam and the stories written by the Vanchirajas (Kings of Vanhinadu) in order and adopt them to be performed on the stage as Kathakali. The reforms of the Kaplingattu Namboodiri, are known as the ‘Thekkan Sambradyam’ (The Method of the South)

ORIGIN OF KATHAKALI

Kathakali is the most famous art form of Kerala; the God’s own country. Scholars differ as to the origin of this art. Prince of Kottarakkara is widely believed to be the originator of Kathakali. He wrote plays drawing upon the epics of India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. He wrote them in Malayalam as the language existed in the 17th century. As Malayalam had not freed itself completely from Sanskrit, only a small section of the people was able to appreciate the art form. However, even those who did not know much Sanskrit were able to watch and enjoy this dance-drama.
There is an interesting story about the origin of Kathakali. It is said that the prince of Kottarakkara, having heard much about a form of play that flourished in Kozhikode, in the Malabar region of Kerala, invited the Zamorin to his place in the south of Kerala and perform. The art form was called ‘Krishnanattam’. It was the first dance-drama of Kerala. It was Manveda Samoothiri of Kozhikode who gave a definite shape to the art form. Samoothiri rejected the invitation of the prince of Kottarakkara saying that no body in the south could appreciate the dance-drama. Having felt humiliated the prince of Kottarakkara developed another form of dance drama called ‘Ramanattam’. The stories for Ramanattam’ were taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The prince borrowed appropriate elements from the various art forms of Kerala such as ‘Kooth’, ‘Koodiyattam’, ‘thira’, ‘theyyam’, ’mudiyettu’. The influence of ‘Kachakettu’ and ‘Kalaripayattu’ can also be seen in Kathakali.
A group of actors under the leadership of the prince of Kottarakkara staged this new dance drama at palaces, temples and once in a while at villages also. At times it was also staged at the houses of rich people. Ramanattam evolved over the years slowly and gradually and assumed the shape in which it is staged today.