padmanabha
29th October 2006, 11:22 AM
[tscii:40626c7fb8]KATHAKALI CHUTTI:
KATHAKALI MAKE UP IS THE THICKEST MAKE UP IN THE WORLD AND IT HAS FOUND ITS PALCE IN THE GUINNES BOOK. HERE IS A WRITE UP ON KATHAKALI CHUTTI (MAKE UP).
Kathakali make is a complex art and it demands tow to four hours for completion. Connoisseurs of Kathakali enjoy the show; appreciate the dance and the music, and leave the venue. Chutti artistes always remain as unsung heroes.
The renowned chutti artistes RLV Somadas and his assistant Margi Raveendran, explains this complex nature of this art and their experiences.
Somadas a native of Pulimath near Kilimanoor, stumbled upon this art form. He is a trained chenda (a kind of percussion instrument) artiste from RLV School Trupunithura. His father a Kathakali artiste established Bhagavathi Vilasom Kathakaliyogam at Pulimath.
“I was familiar with the art of make up. Once it so happened that the chutti artiste could not arrive in time, and I was asked to apply chutti, to the doyen of Kathakali Kalamandalam, Krishnan Nair. I agreed and “practiced” it on his face. By Gods grace everything went off well and that was a turning point in my life. Thus the chenda artiste became a chutti artiste. Since four decades I have been in this profession.”
It needs tremendous patience and concentration. No Kathakali artiste can do everything by himself. The make up and the themes are in no natural. The characters are super human beings.
Our work much begins much before the performance. Rice and chunam in the ratio 3:1 are soaked and ground to a smooth paste. Long flexible bamboo is used to draw the fine patterns with a steady hand. The outline should be sharp. The most interesting part is the sequence of its application. Let us consider the Pachcha vesham. Satwik characters like Krishna, Rama Arjuna, Nala are represented by this veshams. The face is painted green with emphasis on the eyes and eyebrows. The lips are painted red as if frozen in a smile. Finally the chutti is applied in rows to frame the cheeks and chin. In early days, rice paste was used for this. Now it has been replaced by paper cuttings. White paper is cut and folded in such a way that each layer extends beyond the layer just above it.
It completely alters the normal structure of the face which is essential to achieve symmetry. The jaw line is widened and tapered at the chin. For every performance we have cut a fresh chutti. Human body is asymmetrical. The chutti has to fit the face on either side masking the asymmetry. Paste of rice takes one hour to fry.
But different Pachcha veshams cannot be distinguished on the basis of appearance. All Pachcha characters look alike. I have made several innovations for distinguishing Arjuna from Nala by their make up alone. But the actors are hesitating to accept even this change. Many strike a “Kaththi vesham” pose at the prospect of such changes.
Normally the artiste rests his head on the lap of the chutti artiste. As the make up takes hours they slip into sleep. There are artistes who snore. It disturbs us. The make up causes tickling and tingling sensations and these actors as a quick reflex rub the face strongly. Simple though it might appear, it is a serous problem. There should be perfect understanding between the chutti artiste and the performer. EYE STRAIN, neck pain, back pain, spondylosis, are the common occupational hazards says Margi Raveendran a disciple of Somadas. Lack of recognition is very much there. Even though the make up looks majestic the credit goes to the Kathakali performer. We are the least remembered of the lot, they say.
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KATHAKALI MAKE UP IS THE THICKEST MAKE UP IN THE WORLD AND IT HAS FOUND ITS PALCE IN THE GUINNES BOOK. HERE IS A WRITE UP ON KATHAKALI CHUTTI (MAKE UP).
Kathakali make is a complex art and it demands tow to four hours for completion. Connoisseurs of Kathakali enjoy the show; appreciate the dance and the music, and leave the venue. Chutti artistes always remain as unsung heroes.
The renowned chutti artistes RLV Somadas and his assistant Margi Raveendran, explains this complex nature of this art and their experiences.
Somadas a native of Pulimath near Kilimanoor, stumbled upon this art form. He is a trained chenda (a kind of percussion instrument) artiste from RLV School Trupunithura. His father a Kathakali artiste established Bhagavathi Vilasom Kathakaliyogam at Pulimath.
“I was familiar with the art of make up. Once it so happened that the chutti artiste could not arrive in time, and I was asked to apply chutti, to the doyen of Kathakali Kalamandalam, Krishnan Nair. I agreed and “practiced” it on his face. By Gods grace everything went off well and that was a turning point in my life. Thus the chenda artiste became a chutti artiste. Since four decades I have been in this profession.”
It needs tremendous patience and concentration. No Kathakali artiste can do everything by himself. The make up and the themes are in no natural. The characters are super human beings.
Our work much begins much before the performance. Rice and chunam in the ratio 3:1 are soaked and ground to a smooth paste. Long flexible bamboo is used to draw the fine patterns with a steady hand. The outline should be sharp. The most interesting part is the sequence of its application. Let us consider the Pachcha vesham. Satwik characters like Krishna, Rama Arjuna, Nala are represented by this veshams. The face is painted green with emphasis on the eyes and eyebrows. The lips are painted red as if frozen in a smile. Finally the chutti is applied in rows to frame the cheeks and chin. In early days, rice paste was used for this. Now it has been replaced by paper cuttings. White paper is cut and folded in such a way that each layer extends beyond the layer just above it.
It completely alters the normal structure of the face which is essential to achieve symmetry. The jaw line is widened and tapered at the chin. For every performance we have cut a fresh chutti. Human body is asymmetrical. The chutti has to fit the face on either side masking the asymmetry. Paste of rice takes one hour to fry.
But different Pachcha veshams cannot be distinguished on the basis of appearance. All Pachcha characters look alike. I have made several innovations for distinguishing Arjuna from Nala by their make up alone. But the actors are hesitating to accept even this change. Many strike a “Kaththi vesham” pose at the prospect of such changes.
Normally the artiste rests his head on the lap of the chutti artiste. As the make up takes hours they slip into sleep. There are artistes who snore. It disturbs us. The make up causes tickling and tingling sensations and these actors as a quick reflex rub the face strongly. Simple though it might appear, it is a serous problem. There should be perfect understanding between the chutti artiste and the performer. EYE STRAIN, neck pain, back pain, spondylosis, are the common occupational hazards says Margi Raveendran a disciple of Somadas. Lack of recognition is very much there. Even though the make up looks majestic the credit goes to the Kathakali performer. We are the least remembered of the lot, they say.
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