Mahabharati (11-2 Kathakali)

[Aquamarine31]

Totally love !

[jaida786]

I love it from 0:52 till 1:00

[jaida786]

ddddaaaaammmmmnnnnnn.........

[auntiesanity]

Nothing short of miraculous. 

[desichick]

this is sooo beautiful......it's amazing how the performers have control over their mudras and expression, despite wearing a costume which weighs close to 100lbs.

[animefan6753]

I think this is cool. Its unique and i like that

[rtoac123]

A beautiful performance. Very well vocalised too. In the experience of the performance, its easy to not notice the cameraman's performance; keeping the balance between close-ups for intricate expressions, and the whole stage view to capture the entire experience.

[libertyyy7]

awesome ! epic <3

[alexandrereis]

So much beautiful and wonderful dances!!

[LovePartisan]

L M A O

[aukashi]

hameer kalyani/sAranga, mukhAri/husEni, hinDolam,shankarAbharanam

[fun33osun]

typically these were the dance shows potraying moral stories and epics to common folk .. thats why they are intensionally dramatic ..

if you look at traditional chinese opera .. it looks so similar .. amazing how different cultures have common similarities.

[thephilosopherkartik]

Art is very difficult but criticism is the easiest thing in the world. Think twice before posting such disparaging comments

[95malavika]

hulksmash05 is showing how senseless he/she is.

u must b prowd 2 be a keralite n must be happy 2 say that Kathakali is frm Kerala.

u feel its boring coz u dont understand anything thing in it.either u must have a trasalator or u must know the Mudras.

[rgh1986aka199]

hey...the song opened in Saranga...but the middle section is some other raga (?), the knowledged ones may throw some light on this...

[tnemyo]

The raga is Mukhari - Kathakali is an incredible art form though, this is my first time watching a performance of it!

[rgh1986aka199]

the last section of Krishna also sounded different -- was upbeat --is that Mukhari too?

[tnemyo]

I believe it's shankarabharanam

[theRealCrazyOne]

I used to be so scared of Kathakali characters back when I was a kid. I would run away from the Ujala commercials.

But now, they are so beautiful!!!

[Edscew]

I know I went to India and saw a performance I cried through the whole thing my mom had to hold my hand disregard the other comment.

[Mirchi786]

o gosh me too!

[DiruButterfly]

In some parts of India, the female roles are played by men, so there might be confusion there. It's like with Shakespeare/ kabuki... originally women weren't allowed on stage so it was all played by men

[Mohamana]

its so beautiful...

[skoty9999]

kathakali soy hispano...no conzco mucho de sus historias...hoy estoy mirando su dnza gracias al libro de anita nair..gracias por hacercarnos a su cultura

[Existantia]

This looks really cool, but I can only understand so much, unlike you guys who seem to know enough to appreciate it. : ) Im sure it is beautiful, but I cant see what's so amazing yet. Any viewing suggestions for a newbie? Merci!

[TangoDancerGirl4Life]

I love Peter Brook!!

[halfrek]

Kathakali is phenomenal!

[th3dilwalebollyw0od]

i love kathakaLi

[monoplane]

what in the world

[tamandocomando]

here's a question that no one has been able to answer for me-why is kathakali only danced by men?

[GH300]

I don't know if there's just one reason. It could mainly be because it requires years and years of rigorous training and the whole make-up and costume takes several hours, not to mention the 30-35 kg. costume you have to don in a performance that could last 5-6 hours(16th century) ...and I can totally see the old male dominant indian society only letting the men participate this physically demanding dance form

[tamandocomando]

well, it helps a little bit. thanks anyway :)

[opus88888]

Because there are no female characters in the drama.

[SundaraKapasalathi]

Not so, there are stories that involve the characters of Radha, Sita, and other major women in the Hindu religious texts. They just aren't seen as much as the men, from what little Kathakali I've actually seen.

[BharathaDancer]

no female characters, as pointed out SITA!! incase u have forgotten the ETERNAL AND PERFECT LOVE RAMA HAD FOR HIS WIFE.... how he went to save her from ravana??!!! sorry, but I feel this statement to have come from a poor understanding of the drama, not htat i pretend that mine is so great, but please acknowledge the fundemental themes. xxx

[realistiq]

there are female characters in kathakali. Draupati (Bhagavat Gita)/Damayanti (Nalacharitham) are popular female characters. Search on youtube for "vanaprastham" its a movie about a kathakali dancer has a female kathakali character in it.

[aksivadas]

Those inferior american mallu can only say shit.

[hulksmash05]

da worlds most boring dance ever in human history

kathakali

and iam from kerala

[jerkosome]

very beautiful (although i wish the singers would stand at a side)

[GiselleKan]

man, I'm worried because the person that posted this video worte: "a short clip from mahabharat, 1989, director Peter Brooks". Wtf??? Mahabharata is not a movie!!!!! It was made a movie, but it's one of the most sacred texts of all times!!! I hope I'm mistaken in my assumption that this person thinks Brooks invented the story!

[SundaraKapasalathi]

He made a movie called "Mahabharata", they just mis-thought it as a clip from there. We'll probably never know where this clip really came from.

[GiselleKan]

I've seen Brook's version of Mahabharata and no, this clip is not from that movie. They dance there, but this is not the scene. I'm not sure if they do kathakali in that movie, because the character dancing doesn't have the special outfit or make up, and the dancing is different, with mudras and other things that seem more like a Shiva enactment.

[SundaraKapasalathi]

I wasn't saying this was from the movie, I was saying that the video poster mistook it for his film when writing in the info.

[pureLproductions]

I love it, simply amazing. If you watch their hands and their dancing you no longer need to know whats going on, your sucked into the story and you know what they are trying to do. beautiful costumes, and i agree r8rdarklord there is no better artform than this

[menzogne]

magnifico, evocativo, lontano. Ho visto uno spettacolo di teatro kathakali, ed è stata un'esperienza incredibile. Se conoscessi l'india la conoscerei attaraverso il teatro kathakali.

[r8rdarklord]

Amazing..I love kathakali. It's one of my favourite dance forms. I hope to one day watch a live performance.

[ruzickaw]

Very boring theater. With all that singing and hand movements and costums they kill the story

[SundaraKapasalathi]

The singing is telling the story. The hand movements convey an emotion, since facial expressions are very limited, as a rule. Their costumes tell what sort of character they are, such as Arjuna having a large halo on his head, defining him as the hero. It's a deep and meaningful theater, not at all boring. You have to be in the right mood for it, not one in a mood for jumping around and swashbuckling. You want that, go watch an action film, don't waste your time bashing a time-honored tradition.

[ruzickaw]

an art stuck in tradition. No evolution.

[SundaraKapasalathi]

You've obviously never seen other forms of Indian theater. Kathakali evolved from a form called Ramanattam, and in turn, Kathakali has broken off into another form called Kerala Nattaram, created in the mid 20th century. Yes, it hasn't evolved, but it's created other forms. Sometimes tradition doesn't need to be warped by modernism.

[ruzickaw]

Because i have seen it in Kerala i am saying that it is boring. These old Krishna stories, Arjuna stories the are so old fashioned.

Like most of Indian art they get stuck in their tradicion. You think that because it is "time-honored" that is a garantee taht it is good?

Indian cast system is also "time-honored"

Should it go on and on?

In what kind of mood should i be, could you tell me? Most people in the audience were sleeping after two hours, Is that the right mood?

[GiselleKan]

what would you exactly call "evolution"? Sorry, but "progress" and "evolution" are just as ideological concepts as "tradition" itself. Every human relation evolves. The difference is the speed, but everything in culture changes.

[dipticheerath]

what a weird comment?

[mitra6883]

art that shud b continued...

[cenolbaj]

Can´t they afford a tanpura that they have to use that most awful shruti box ?? Spoiling half of the performance for me

[arvasudev]

I am from Kerala, and what's more, am going through a vishadayogam myself. I just loved the WTF act of Krishna as Arjuna was whining about his issues.

[SundaraKapasalathi]

A beautiful, timeless tradition. I would love to see a kathakali performance up close one day, it seems like it would blow me away if were to see it live. It takes my breath away, even as I sit here in front of my laptop. Namaskar, sahib.

[AlexandraLara]

Peter is my inspiration in acting!!!! I love you Peter my dream is to work with you!!!!

[tarasdj]

werid.

[SundaraKapasalathi]

And you can't even spell weird correctly? I think you're "werid" for not appreciating the ancient art being played here.

[tarasdj]

well im freakin from kerela and this is som WEIRD ASS SHYT!

[SundaraKapasalathi]

Well, we all have our opinions. *shrug*

[captainagk]

you come under the emerging arrogant pseudo western youth culture of india. In this case an insecure mallu, trying to cover up his lack of confidence by using American slang lol.

[tarasdj]

ok? im sorry im not a fucking fob or whatever.

im done

[r8rdarklord]

If you think this is wierd, don't watch then.

[nadineuwe]

does some1 know the name of the song?

i think its just gorgeous!

i just wish i can actually understand any of it xD

cheers, from egypt xD

[zotfotpik]

Name of the play is Duryodhan Vadham meaning the slaying of Duryodhan. The story is being recited as a song. So I guess the name of the song would be Duryodhan Vadham

[nathanthilse]

Good one.. Thanks

[chadsexinton]

how can u enjoy this?

[r8rdarklord]

There are pre-requisites to understand this. It is not for the masses..but once you have put some time, there is no greater art form than this.

[March291992]

this rocks i love this

[amarianne]

Beautiful! I recommend watching this performance in south india.

[ranaparwandra]

the dancers look so cute . . .!

[IanThal]

This is the Bhagavad-Gita section of the Mahãbhãrata done in the manner of Kathakali-- one of India's classical dance-theatre traditions. Peter Brook is a great director, but this has nothing to do with his version (which I have seen)

[shivyrocks]

where can i find his version?

i am studying brook at uni and may choose to wirte an essay about this area

[amiitk]

hy im theater actor too will u like to share about brook im one his fan but didnt know about much of him i had work with his student in india here delhi

[Galadraal]

sooo amazing :)...I love the chariot ride dance...very powerful.

[JPandCo]

i love the music and the costumes are woow the most colorful i've ever seen in my life...how they change their face the precission of the steps with the music is wow...so coordinated and well organized, i used 2 think this only existed in ancient statues of krishna

[IanThal]

The poses of classical dance/theatre traditions of India are closely related to the sculptural traditions one sees in the temples. The more you learn about one, the more you understand the other.

[Laxmi69]

Very fascinating...it would be really great if someone could translate the song in English subtitles (accurately and grammatically correct) with verses running in the lower region of the film. Thanks!

[sakredfire]

coooll

[karasane]

this is not from brook's film mahabharata...but it still rocks!