Undying love for theatre (1928-2016)
Malayalam theatre lost one of its greatest stalwarts recently when Kavalam Narayana Panikkar (88), breathed his last in Thiruvananthapuram. Kavalam, who was born in Alappuzha on 28 April 1928, trained to be a lawyer after obtaining his law degree from the Madras Law College, and practised in the courts for six years. His interest in theatre was kindled after he was made the Secretary of the Kerala Sangeet Nataka Akademi, where he had a tenure of 10 years. Having had a grounding in epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata at a very early age, Narayana Panikkar’s first foray into the theatre scene was with the play Panchayat in which he also played a major role. His stint at the Akademi afforded him a golden opportunity to work closely with reputed writers and scholars of the time, including those who had close contact with theatre and dance. One of his early plays Avanavan Katamba was filmed by the reputed director Aravindan. Later, Panikkar started his own drama troupe ‘Sopanam’ and widened the scope of its activities to include the revival of the dying art forms of Kerala.
‘Sopanam’ led to the foundation of the ‘Bhasabharati Centre for Performing Arts, Training and Research’ situated in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. He has been credited with reviving several folk, tribal and classical dance forms which were on the verge of extinction. As a playwright, Panikkar earned distinction for adapting the works of William Shakespeare and Jean Paul Sartre. He translated and produced Shakespeare’s plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest and also the works of Kalidasa, Mahakavi Bhasa and others. Sartre’s Trojan Woman too was adapted to Malayalam theatre by the famous playwright.
In his illustrious and long drawn career Narayana Panikkar directed 26 plays. Significant among them were Karnabharam (in which Malayalam superstar Mohanlal donned the title role of Karna), Bhagavadujjatam, Shakuntalam, Mahakavi Bhasa’s Madhyama Vyayogam, Vikramorvasiyam, Oru Bhangam, and Swapnavasavadattam. He worked in many countries including the former Soviet Union and collaborated with a Greek troupe to stage a play titled Ilyayana, a fusion of the Indian Mahabharatha and Homer’s Iliad. He had a close bond with Ujjain and also worked with the theatre professionals in Madhya Pradesh where he staged Bhasa’s play Dhootavakyam with artistes from the states playing the main roles.
A singular feature of all the theatrical productions of Panikkar was that all of them were earthy and rooted and were all meticulously researched Panikkar also won plaudits as a poet and lyricist, and during his long and eventful career penned the lyrics for as many as 45 Malayalam films, significant among them being Utsavapittennu and Manjadikkuru. His lyrics for two films Vaadakaikoru Hridhayam and Marmaram also fetched him the state award for Best Lyricist. He also had a number of poetry collections to his credit. As a composer, he composed music for as many as nine documentaries. Another sphere in which the theatre exponent excelled was in writing lyrics for classical dances, especially Mohiniyattam. At the peak of his popularity it was even said that what the Kerala Kalamandalam meant to Kathakali, Panikkar was to Mohiniyattam. Panikkar also wielded the megaphone for two films, the first on the legendary Kuttiyattam maestro Mani Madhava Chakyar titled Mani Madhava Chakyar – The Master at work and the other Parvati Viraham, in which Madhava Chakyar essayed the role of Ravana. Panikkar’s second son Kavalam Sreekumar is a talented singer who has sung playback for several Malayalam films.
A number of awards and honours came the way of this versatile genius. Significant among them were the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award, the Kalidas Samman presented by the Madhya Pradesh government and the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country, from the Government of India.
Kavalam Narayana Pannikar was also a recipient of the ‘Outstanding Indian’ award in 2009, instituted by the One India One People Foundation.