Maya Ravan- the right mix of everything!

People who know me well would know how big a fan I have always been of Sobhana. I have been watching her act ever since I can remember and have been following her career very religiously for the past decade or so. The first time I read about Maya Ravan was when it premiered in Mumbai more than an year back. A broadway musical style interpretation of the character of Ravana from the Ramayan, what attracted me most to Maya Ravan was the plethora of stars who had lent their voice to this ballet.

When JTPAC was inaugurated and when I came to know that Maya Ravan was coming to Kochi, I was ecstasic to say the least! Come 9 May and here I was with my sister and 2 of my colleagues in tow at the JTPAC to enjoy Maya Ravan first hand! The show started with the titles projected on the white screen and soon after Sobhana came in and did a small bharatanatyam piece. It was later followed by a quick intro into the life of Rama with the major turning points in his life being explained through the medium of Bharatanatyam. The ballet started with Mandhara poisoning Kaikeyi (Revathy in form) about Rama succeeding the throne of Ayodhya. The actress- dancer who has also been creditted with concept, choreography, costume designing and direction had interpreted the character of Ravana very differently from what I have heard (my knowledge of Ramayana is courtesy Ramanand Sagar and Doordarshan).

Apparently, Mandhara was Ravana's spy and Ravana had wanted Rama to be exiled since he wanted to capture Seetha who was not given to him in marriage for the simple fact that he was a Rakshasa! He, apparently had even passed the test of lifting Shiva's bow but had aimed at Parasurama instead of the bird :-) I am not sure whether Kamba Ramayanam, Valmiki Ramayanam or Ramacharitamanas says this but all this was knowledge to me. Apparently, Ravana was even sure of losing the battle to Rama as he discloses to Mandodari the night before his death!

In spite of the liberties that Sobhana has taken with the narration, Maya Ravan is definitely an enjoyable experience for a wide variety of reasons- first and foremost it is the wonderful artistes who lend voice to the various characters- Milind Soman (Rama), Rohini (Sita), the wonderful Nasseruddin Shah (Ravana), the hugely talented Tabu (Mandodari), Sameer Soni (Lakshmana), Jackie Shroff (Dasharatha), in top form Mohanlal (Hanuman) and finally the best of it all, Suhasini Maniratnam who is superb as Soorpanakha!

Second in my list is the costumes. Sobhana defies convention in all ways possible and her selection of colors and styling of costumes is commendable. Special mention requires to be made about the various head gears that she wears as Ravana. The bright colored costumes are alluring and they do not hinder the dancers in any way while performing the natyam.

Third comes Ganesh- Kumaresh's music and the fabulous selection of songs. Sobhana has used popular film songs at every juncture possible- Narumukhiye (Iruvar), Chentharmizhi (Perumazhakkalam) and Chinnamma Chilakamma (Meenaxi- Tale of 3 cities) have been aptly placed but the real winner is the rock and roll song that she uses to introduce the vanara sena. The choreography is funny and evokes a few laughs in an otherwise serious drama.

Sound and Lighting is fabulous to say the least. The Sound Engineers do a brilliant job with blending the sound and not even for once you feel things go out of place. Lighting is a tough job when it comes to attempts like this but even during sequences where you have 2 dozen dancers on stage, the lighting team made sure that they give prominence to all the dancers!

Sobhana is well known for her mastery over various dance forms and this is evident in the choreography- she blends Bharatanatyam extremely well with contemporary dance, dappankoothu and rock n roll. Abhinaya has been kept simple and with the dubbed voices in English, Sobhana makes sure that the message is driven across to even people who have very little knowledge of classical dances! The gruelling rehearsals that the team has gone through is very evident. They occupy their space on the stage swiftly and by the time you bat an eyelid, the dancers are back on stage for the next sequence after a quick costume change!

Maya Ravan is predominantly for a Western Audience- the dialogues in chaste and modern English do not sound as if they are from a classic. Here the characters speak more contemporary and common place language which helps even an audience alien to Ramayana to understand and appreciate the characters better!

The biggest contribution Sobhana has made to Indian classical dance lies in her efforts to make the medium more acceptable to the general public and her experience with films have come in very handy here! The queen of arts, Padmashree Sobhana, reveals another aspect of her talented persona with Maya Ravan which she has scripted, directed, choreographed and designed. The actress is all over the place and scores high on all departments. Do watch Maya Ravan next time you get a chance- efforts like these need to be appreciated!