Happenings

Shadow Puppet theatre by A Muthulakshmana Rao & troupe

1 October 2018

KNMA hosted a mesmerizing evening of Thol Pavai Koothu – shadow puppet theatre from Tamil Nadu by A. Muthulakshmana Rao & Troupe of Theni district, Tamil Nadu. Rao hails from Genguvarpatti in Theni district and whose family has been performing ‘Thol pavai koothu’ for generations. They performed a narrative based on the story of 'Kishkinda Kandam', an episode of Ramayana. He, along with his troupe members- M. Kalimuthu, Rajaram, M.Manikandan. he has vast experience of performing in many places in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. He is also a recipient of many awards.

Shadow puppeteers create performances, by manipulating leather puppets, between a light source and the screen. Today’s cinema owes a lot to the shadow puppet theatre. They can be considered as original filmmakers before the technology of camera and projection came in.  In India the shadow puppet theatre is called by different names and ‘Thol Pavai Koothu' in Tamil Nadu. The event was organized as collateral to the ongoing video art show 'Delirium // Equilibrium' curated by Roobina Karode. The hour long theatre show transformed the exhibition space, catapulting the audience from a high-tech video art exhibition to a puppet theatre style dating back to ages ago."