WHEN THE BODY BECOMES ALL EYES
THE ANCIENT ART FORM OF KALARIPAYATTU GETS A LEG-UP FROM FINE ARTS EXPONENTS WHO FIND IT HANDY IN PREPARING THE BODY
Four months ago, when actress Mita Vashist took over as the head of the department of acting at the Pune Film and Television Institute, she found that many of her students have lethargic bodies. One of her prescriptions was to make Kalaripayattu, Kerala’s martial art, a compulsory part of the curriculum. “We have got some trainers to come from Kozhikode’s Hindustan Kalari School to coach the students,” says Mita.
It was not just physical fitness that she was aiming at. “If you can train in Kalari, then you actually become ready to do all fine arts including films. It will help you immensely if you are acting in a dance sequence or a fight sequence,” she says, before going on to explain how Kalari training makes a person aware of his body, every tissue of it. “It enables you to achieve any kind of movement,” she says and goes on to quote the old saying that Kalari helps ‘the body become a thousand eyes’.
It is not only Mita who has realised how the ‘mother of all martial arts’ provides a cutting edge to performing artistes. Says Belraj Soni, who has been a Kalari instructor in Mumbai for five years: “Fifty per cent of my students are either from the field of theatre or dance, both traditional as well as contemporary. I also know of many artistes who visit Kerala to learn Kalari.” One such accomplished artiste is Bharatanatyam guru from Mysore, Dr Vasundhara Doraswamy. She reminisces how her engagement with Kalari began: “It was in 1996. I was doing Mahishasura Mardini dance drama which had war scenes. I wanted to incorporate some Kalari elements into the fight scenes with swords and shields and went to Guruvayur in Kerala. At the Vallabhabhatta Centre, I trained for a month. It wasn’t difficult for me since I had a yoga background and some of the vadivus are actually similar to certain asanas. Now, every year, I make it a point to go to Kerala and brush up on my Kalari for a month or so. It makes the body supple for my art. I also incorporate certain elements into my dance dramas.”
Kalari is a great tool in preparing for any art form that uses the body and mind
— NABIL, FILM DIRECTOR
If you can train in Kalari, it will help you immensely if you are acting in a dance or a fight sequence
— MITA VASHIST, HEAD OF DEPT OF ACTING, FTII, PUNE
In the 19th century, after Nair warriors lost out to British soldiers with their firearms, Kalari was banned by the British and suffered a steady decline. There was a revival in early 20th century but with the spread of Karate and other martial arts from abroad, Kalari was regarded as old-fashioned. “Right now, there are early signs of another revival, with people showing an interest in anything traditional. So far, it has been a bit of a chaotic scene with various schools doing their own thing but now an apex body called Kalari Federation of India has been formed,” says Kochi-based Narayanan Embranthiri, a guru who learnt it from his father.
Aiding the ailing martial art form is the steady flow of admirers from the field of various arts. “If I get 10 disciples in a new batch, only one or two will continue since it is a rigorous art. The gurus continue to teach out of a sense of respect for tradition and not because there is any money to be made. It is true that performing artistes have been showing interest in learning it. I too get a few such disciples from India and abroad,” says Embranthiri.
Contemporary dancer from Bengaluru, Jayachandran Palazhy, who runs Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts, says that his dance is “informed, influenced and inspired by Kalari” even though he doesn’t incorporate anything consciously into his performances. Of course, Kalari training is an integral part of the students’ daily routine. Jayachandran explains that Kalari’s various movements are inspired by animal movements and the whole martial art is a kind of dynamic yoga which brings 360 degree awareness to one’s body. “Kalari is very good in achieving macro movements where the whole body is propelled through space. This can be very useful for a contemporary dancer,” he says, pointing out also that unlike other performing art forms, it doesn’t come with any aesthetic baggage.
Kalari style fighting has been featured in several movies. “It is not only theatre actors and dancers who find Kalari useful but even film actors. Prateik Babbar attended the same class as me. Jackie Chan, who knows different fighting techniques, apparently got some Kalari trainers to train him for a few months,” she says.
Kalari got its six minutes of international fame recently after film director Nabil, who has made music videos for the likes of Kanye West, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean and the Arctic Monkeys, recently travelled to Kerala to create Higher, a collaboration between hip-hop producer Just Blaze, Jay Z and Harlem Shake creator Baauer. The short film narrates the story of two generations of warriors in Kerala. Nabil used no actors but only the students of Sajeevan Gurukkal of Sri Viswabharath Kalari Sangham in Kannur to enact the various roles and the video was a bit hit on YouTube. ‘I had researched martial arts in India and this form really stuck to me as it really felt like something spiritual and took a lot of skill, yet it seemed so raw,” says Nabil. “I have received a very positive response and people really connect with it emotionally. And it just looks cool, thanks to the great acting and talent of the whole team in Kannur.”
Nabil concludes: “I can see how Kalari would be a great tool in preparing for any art form that uses the body and mind.”
Kalari is very good in achieving macro movements where the whole body is propelled through space — JAYACHANDRAN PALAZHY