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Semiclassical Dance > Thullal

The Thullal emerged in the eighteenth century. Thullal literally means dance. This art form is the cumulative product of all traditional theatrical arts of Kerala, both folk and classical. Kunchan Nambiar was the creator of Thullal, was vigorously earthy. He wanted to make the earth a cleaner place and its inhabitants more decent people. He believed that a rational sanity with healthy roots in earth could achieve a great reordering of life. No social stratum was the need for correctives in his attitudes and behaviour. He wanted to include in his audience the whole society. He realized that the highly Sanskritized literary diction would fail to get his message across to large sections of the people. So he used the simplest diction, including slang. His verse had a vital rhythm and clung to the memory even without conscious effort. The internal rhymes keep up a lively beat and he can deliver hammer- blows with his rhymes with a smashing impact. He rejected Kathakali and turned to the tradition of people, the dance forms of the lowest strata even of the Pariahs.

The art of Thullal was evolved as a system out of the various singing and dancing art forms of the people incorporating apt features of classical styles so that by the harmonious blend of the folk and classical forms of art it represented the accumulated aesthetic experience of all sections of the people high and low. The themes were drawn from the never failing myths and epics of India.

The Thullal has a full-fledged libretto, a tale narrated in verse. The Thullal has only one actor. The Thullal is like the Sanskrit Bhana. He uses the gesture language, but vestigially and transparently so that his mimetic narration gains in speed and benefits by rapid communication. The full painting of the face is retained for the expressive advantage. The costume is picturesque. The actor is supported by a singer who repeat his lines, a drummer and a cymbalist. The narration is accompanied by dancing.

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The roles of raconteur and actor are perpetually interchanged in the same man with the aesthetic effect which characterizes the continuity of films that have had the benefit of subtle and imaginative direction. The narrative thus emerges with a continuously shifting focus penetrating the interior world of men's fantasies and day-dreams, seeing the things with same objectivity, correcting vanity with raillery and deeper fixations with a cathartic, caricaturist distortion.

The roles of raconteur and actor are perpetually interchanged in the same man with the aesthetic effect which characterizes the continuity of films that have had the benefit of subtle and imaginative direction. The narrative thus emerges with a continuously shifting focus penetrating the interior world of men's fantasies and day-dreams, seeing the things with same objectivity, correcting vanity with raillery and deeper fixations with a cathartic, caricaturist distortion.

Nambiar spared nobody and hit every hard. But he also laughed loudly when he hits and his victims could not resist the whole some, infectious quality of that laughter even while reeling under the chastening blows. The rapacity of the pretty rulers, who looted the people, but were gullible enough to be looted in turn by the astrologer, the vendor of the magical tails-mans and the courtesans, the officials who feathered their own nests by betraying both their masters and the people, the rich Nambootiris who spent their lives in slumber, scandal mongering and flirtations, and the Nairs who clung with absurd pride to the memories of their martial traditions, when the feudal order that supported it was fast decaying, all got boisterous handling. Insisting on an irreducible minimum of social elegance, he even lampooned people with messy hygienic and eating habits.

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Nambiar is not intolerant of natural human imperfection. But what he cannot tolerate and must suppress with snubs is the egotism of men who forget their limitations. Nambiar has left an indelible impression upon the people of Kerala. If the present is the age of political rivalries and controversies in Kerala are also quick to see through the pretentious promises of parties and politicians. That is one of the reason why there is such a rapid turn over of political leadership in the state.

Based on different styles of narrative singing, rhythms of dancing, foot work and make-up of the dancer, three varieties of Thullal were evolved in course of time. they are:

It consists of a variety of rapid metres well suited for amusing narratives and it is vigorous in execution. The Thullal actor who represents this type has a fascinating costume. His face is painted green. With a round headgear of multi-coloured tinsel and gold, a breast plate to match, a circlet of jingles round his ankles and wearing a frilled skirt round his waist, he sings and dances to the sounding of the cymbals and beating of the drum. Along with singing and dancing, the player acts the incidents narrated in the songs.

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It has metres of medium cadence for the songs used and rhythm to suit. In contrast to the picturesque appearance of the dancer in Ottam Thullal, the dancer in Seethankam Thullal has his face unpainted, except for a few black lines, on the eyebrows and eyelids to heighten the expression of the eyes. He wears a crown made out of the tender leaves of coconut palm, with frills of the same material adorning his wrists.

This has a slow narrative style for singing, with slow graceful elegant steps, movements and hand gestures. The make-up of a Parayan is very simple except for an ornamental headgear and a red cloth round his waist. The dancer smears the body with charcoal paste.

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