and enthralled

BY ANUSHA MENON

here is no doubt that Kerala-born actor, dancer, choreographer and director, Shobana was born to be a star. On November 2, her Sydney audience was left gaping in wonder after Krishna, a spectacular dance musical conceptualised and choreographed entirely by the versatile artist herself.

Presented by SOORYA Australia at Parramatta Riverside theatres, Krishna was a re-enacting of the defining chapters of the Hindu deity’s life on earth, while exploring his sacred roles as messenger, philosopher, negotiator and teacher.

Proceeds from the show went towards SIMaid, a charity that provides care and support for young girls rescued from brothels in India.

The program comprised a blend of modern and semi-classical dance sequences with drama, performed to a pre-recorded English dialogue featuring the voices of several renowned film personalities, including Surya, Konkona Sen, Andrea Jeremiah, Milind Soman, Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das. The sound engineering for the production was provided courtesy of Oscar-award winning Resul Pookkutty, who has also worked on films like Slumdog Millionaire.

According to Hindu beliefs, Krishna was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. On his parents’ wedding day, a voice from the sky prophesied that their eighth child would be the destroyer of Devaki’s malevolent brother, Kamsa. When Krishna was born, Vasudeva took his son to Gokula to protect his life, trading his child with the newborn daughter of cowherd chief Nanda and his wife Yashoda.

Students from Shobana’s Kalarpana Dance School in Chennai took to the stage to realistically portray this opening scene. The actors wore authentic costumes that were reminiscent of the ancient Krishna era. Devaki’s appeal to Kamsa to have mercy on her child was heartfelt, and set the scene for an emotionally compelling story.

The plot followed Krishna’s journey along four key stages of life - his birth, infancy, youth and adulthood.

The audience chuckled in amusement when Shobana’s endearing infant daughter Anantha, toddled onto the stage in the role of Bala Krishna (baby Krishna). Wearing a small dhoti (loincloth) and sporting a single peacock’s feather in her hair, Anantha charmed the audience and warmed their hearts with her meekness.

The mischievous nature of Krishna the teenage prankster, played by the immensely talented Anuroopika, was vividly conveyed in a lively dance item performed to popular Bollywood hit song Dhoom Machale. Anuroopika did a sensational job of evoking Krishna’s cool, calm and collected temperament in all situations.

When Shobana bounded on stage as the adult Lord Krishna, the audience erupted into applause. Dressed in elaborate costume, Shobana used her tall, slim physique and her large, expressive eyes to exude Krishna’s beauty and magnetism.

Strobe lighting effects gave momentum to the confrontation scenes throughout the show. With graceful thrusts of the body and a smile on his face, Krishna quelled his evil uncle, Kamsa and the multi-hooded serpent, Kaliya.

The flirtatious banter between Lord Krishna and his gopis was simply a delight to watch. The sensual milkmaids captivated the audience as they coyly glided across the stage, dancing around their beloved Krishna and swishing their long dark hair. Their glittery costumes and gaudy jewellery sparkled under the bright stage lights, giving them a dazzling and ethereal on-stage presence. The intense episodes of love and desire between Krishna and his favourite gopi, Radha, were electrifying. The tantric sexual attraction between the two lovers was evoked through risqué contortions of the body and abhinayam (expression).

Krishna’s adoration of Radha, ‘the jewel in his crown’, was also later celebrated in the musical’s rendition of popular Lagaan song, Radha kaise na jale?

But Radha and Krishna’s love affair wasn’t entirely a fairytale romance. In order to follow the path of dharma, Krishna declared that he must leave Radha and his family behind in Vrindavan.

Anuroopika, who also played the role of Radha, did an absolutely stellar job of expressing the character’s anguish and frustration towards the inevitable struggle between earthly desire and cosmic duty. The correlation between her actions and the dialogue, voiced by Konkona Sen, was seamless and natural.

The musical also contained its fair share of funny moments. The audience chuckled at English lyrics that were cleverly matched to a carnatic beat. Like the celebrity voiceovers, these hybrid tunes helped to develop the plot and explain the meaning behind the classical Bharathanatyam mudras (hand gestures) used by the dancers.

The dramatic re-enactment of the Kurukshetra War served as the show’s climactic point. While Krishna’s purpose in the war was to be the mediator between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, he had also agreed to be a charioteer for the Pandavas after being approached by Arjuna. Together, they successfully defeated the Kauravas and brutally slashed the thigh of their leader, Duryodhana. Special mention has to be made of Gayathri, the actor portraying Duryodhana’s mother, Gandhari. Voiced by the renowned Shabana

Azmi, Gayathri did a superb job of conveying the searing pain of losing a child through her dramatic actions. Gandhari’s wails hauntingly resounded throughout the silent auditorium, leaving the audience speechless.

Said Shobana with disarming accuracy, “This dance portrays Krishna, the man and his philosophies, in a way that has never been done before.” This avant garde musical was unlike any other depiction of Krishna’s story that I have experienced, and was certainly worth watching.

The dancers performed to a prerecorded English dialogue featuring the voices of several renowned film personalities, including Konkona Sen, Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das.