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Time of India

At Margi, women take up male roles in Koodiyattam

T'puram: Three women artists took centre stage at Margi Natyagriham on Tuesday evening with their Koodiyattam performance. The show was unique as the women performed the roles of male characters in the play, unlike the usual practice of women staging the roles of female characters and men that of male characters. A lack of enough male artists forced them to take on the roles of male characters, said the artists. The play, titled ' Shoorpanakhankam ', is about demoness Shoorpanakha from the Hindu epic Ramayana. The role of Rama was played by Margi Amrutha, 29, of Karamana, Lakshmana and Sita by Margi Parvathy Pradeep, 18, of Mukkolakkal and Shoorpanakha by Margi Anjana Chakiar, 21, of Valiyasala. "Playing a male character was difficult as it required much effort to rise to the character. Rendering the slogans in male voices and adjusting the body language required utmost rehearsed extra days to stage the play with utmost perfection," said Anjana. Sajeev Narayana Chakiar, head of the Koodiyattam department at Margi, said the art form faces a shortage of male artists as not many men are coming forward to learn it. "In Kerala Kalamandalam, only one male student is learning Koodiyattam and in Margi, there is not even a single male student. The shortage of male artists forces us to go ahead with women to play male roles and it is going to be a trendsetter now," Sajeev said.