Shree Rama Prateeksha comes to Bengaluru

Bengaluru-based theatre group Prabhat Kalavidaru was the first troupe of its kind in South India to use pre-recorded music in its performances, back in the 1960s, says Harrish Prabhat, Managing Director and the grandson of Harikatha Vidwan Gopinath Das, who founded the troupe. According to him, Gopinath Das, “got a lot of opposition from many theatre stalwarts for not using live music.”

But they soldiered on, and now it is all set to present Shree Rama Prateeksha, an acclaimed dance ballet based on Valmiki’s Ramayana, which premiered in 1988 and has been performed over 500 times, since then.

Produced by GoBrahma, the Shree Rama Prateeksha is a story told from many perspectives, shedding light on the patience of characters such as Ahalya, Sita, and Hanuman, deferring to their perspective in relation to Rama, the leading figure.

Roopa Doraswamy, GoBrahma Founder, compares the performance to the fable about three men observing an elephant in a dark room. “And one thinks it’s a stick, one thinks it’s a tree,” she explains, “This is what the show is trying to say: to consider different perspectives.”

The ballet, which combines elements from more traditional Indian dance forms, has evolved since its inception in 1988, and though the core choreography remains the same, aspects such as lighting and framing have been adjusted to suit a more modern palette. This rendition, for instance, will feature English subtitling. “This particular show has not been staged for the public as a ticketed performance for more than 15 years now,” says Roopa.

Harrish, who is responsible for the technical direction of the play, explains that his troupe specialises in tailoring the costumes of its various characters to their canonical temperaments. “Not everyone takes the same style, be it costume or choreography,” he explains. He adds that the upcoming performance will also feature several new faces. The performance will also feature music by Vijaya Raghava Rao as well as dance choreography by Udupi Laxminarayanacharya and Hema Prabhath.

Shree Rama Prateeksha will be performed at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall on July 18. Tickets are priced between ₹499 to ₹2500.