Humanising a demoness

Danseuse Vandana Supriya Kasaravalli's latest production, which combines elements of Odissi and Yakshagana, takes a deeper look at the emotions that drove Shurpanaki.

Odissi performer, choreographer and teacher Vandana Supriya Kasaravalli didn’t go to a regular school. She went to an offbeat one called Sita School where there was no concept of uniforms, tests, homework or exams. Needless to say, she flourished in the field of arts and developed a true passion for dance. “My mother was a teacher there and I truly had an amazing experience. My childhood was full of music and dance and I totally enjoyed it,” she reminisces. She went on to join Nrityagram and later, Dr Maya Rao’s Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. Looking back, she says, “I even had the opportunity to stay with Dr Maya Rao and work with a range of dancers while I was there. I got tremendous exposure during that course.”

Over the years, she managed to present some amazing dance recitals and perform extensively in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, Switzerland and the United States. She even formed the Anandi Arts Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that teaches dance, theatre and music to around 150 underprivileged girls. While many artistes went the virtual way during the pandemic, Vandana decided not to do any online shows as she feels nothing comes close to the thrill of being on an actual stage. “The exchange of energy that happens in a live show is extremely different. However, technology was extremely helpful to artistes during the pandemic since they could not only perform but even teach online,” she says.

Adding soul to a ghoul

Her latest production titled ‘Shurpanaki’ is dedicated to the well-known vamp of Ramayana. “As it is known, Shurpanaki goes to the forest and falls in love with Lord Rama, who in turn plays with her and asks her to go to his brother Lakshmana, who also says that he cannot marry her. In the end, her nose and ears are cut off by Lakshmana and now, she is a character that is always made fun of,” she narrates.

The sister of demon king Ravana, Shurpanaki is undoubtedly one of the most disliked characters of the epic and her name itself evokes a negative emotion in most people. However, Vandana doesn’t mince her words when she says that Shurpanaki is her favourite character from the epic. “All of us have a good side and a bad one. No one is perfect and the same holds true for her. She was just a normal woman with desires; she was wronged and could have been treated better. She had emotions that no one should have played with,” she reasons.

A dance-cum-theatre production, ‘Shurpanaki’ seeks to bring out the human inside the demoness. Conceptualised and choreographed by Vandana and scripted by her filmmaker husband Apurva Kasaravalli, the experimental piece in Kannada saw a fine blend of Odissi and Yakshagana performances, presented by Vandana and veteran artiste Krishnamurthy Thunga respectively. While Vandana played the title role, Krishnamurthy is the friend that Shurpanaki keeps talking to during the performance. “Poor Shurpanaki doesn’t even have a friend to turn to, like how Radha has Sakhi and Sita, Hanuman. So I turned her into a fun-loving character and tried to present her in a modern way,” explains Vandana. ‘Shurpanaki’ has enchanting music that elevates the whole performance. “One of the songs, written by Karthik Hebbar, is very powerful and has all the nine rasas, be it shringara or veera,” says Vandana.

Storytelling through dance

The addition of Yakshagana not only adds a theatrical element to the show but also turns it into an interesting storytelling session of sorts. “Although I was sceptical about its reception since it was in Kannada, I was pleased to see the production go houseful! It just proves that language isn’t a barrier if the content is good. This was the third time that I staged ‘Shurpanaki’ and I must say that it was my best show so far. It was also my first experience with theatre and I loved it,” she gushes.

Vandana now plans to take ‘Shurpanaki’ to the US and also bring out a second part wherein the demoness has a woman-to-woman conversation with Sita. She aims to stage more such productions, which combine dance and theatre seamlessly. “I would love to do similar shows as I want more and more people to see them. Dance can get extremely technical for a layman and adding theatre to it makes it easier for the audience to understand what is going on.”