Koodiyattam: How an ancient theatre tradition finds a tomorrow

Can a 2,000-year-old art form stay alive without changing with the times? That question ran through Kapila Venu’s engaging conversation at the India Today Conclave South in Kochi on September 29, where the Koodiyattam artiste spoke about tradition, reinvention and what it takes to keep an ancient theatre form relevant to a new generation.

In the session ‘Koodiyattam: The Dance of Continuity’, Venu reflected on growing up surrounded by artistes, performances and an intense engagement with Kerala’s traditional arts. The daughter of renowned dance exponents G. Venu and Nirmala Paniker, Venu watched her parents document, revive and experiment with forms such as Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and puppetry.

For Venu, stepping into Koodiyattam was more a way of life than a career decision. She spoke about the challenges of sustaining an ancient performance tradition with a relatively small community of practitioners. Yet, she pointed out, there is no shortage of young people willing to learn, practise and carry it forward.

One of the highlights of the conversation was Navarasa Sadhana, the actor-training method developed by her father. Rooted in Koodiyattam and other performance traditions, the practice focuses on breath, emotional control and the physicality of performance. Its appeal, Venu said, has extended beyond traditional theatre to dancers, actors and even film personalities.

Venu also spoke about women performers in Koodiyattam, pointing out that the tradition has a long history of professional female artistes. Her work with her father has focused on creating space for strong women characters and challenging conventional patriarchal structures in theatre.And then came an unexpected detour—cinema. During the Covid pandemic, a Sri Lankan filmmaker discovered Venu on Instagram and cast her in Neelira, a Tamil film centred on memories of the Sri Lankan civil war. She has since appeared in another commercial film, even playing a villain.

But cinema, Venu made clear, is a curiosity, not a departure. Her roots remain firmly in Koodiyattam. Her larger ambition is to keep Natana Kairali, the institution founded by her father, a living space where traditional performers, dancers and puppeteers can continue to learn, experiment and create. For Venu, continuity does not mean standing still. It means allowing tradition to breathe.