Pasumarti Rattiah Sarma leading a training session. Photo Courtesy: Sabu Adityan
opening shot of to veil Early morning takes you to Kuchipudi, a village in Andhra Pradesh. Young women, dressed in practice saris, are walking along a field in a neat line. They then stop for warm-up and practice before heading down the lane leading to the house of their guru Pasumarti Rattiah Sarma, who is synonymous with Kuchipudi Yakshagana, the dance drama from which Kuchipudi evolved.
The documentary has been conceptualized by Rattiah Sarma’s disciple Srilakshmi Govardhanan, who has made it her mission to carry on her guru’s legacy through the students of her dance school, Avantika Space for Dance in Thrissur. Srilakshmi, who became his disciple in 2008, says, “Even though there are some practitioners of the art, there is no one like him at present who was born in the tradition and still holds on to it. He is 85 years old and the tradition is on the verge of extinction. So I felt it was the need of the hour to document what he has done and is still doing.”
still from the documentary to veil
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
to veil Kuchipudi Yakshagana includes practice sessions before the first staging of the production Usha Parinayam In the village in March 2023. The production was presented in Thrissur a month later. And these have only been two performances of this production.
“It is expensive to stage Yakshagana. We raised the amount through crowdfunding for both the shows. Our next production is ready – Prahlad NatakamBut we need money to stage it,
It took him five years to learn it Usha Parinayam“It requires months of practice and hard work to learn, It is not just about the dance, We also have to speak the dialogues while performing, that too in Telugu, Mixing dance and dialogue delivery is not an easy task,”
still from the documentary to veil
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
More than a dozen of his students learn from the guru. They go to Kuchipudi in batches for classes while balancing their education and job.
There is a world of difference between Kuchipudi Yakshagana and the Kuchipudi we see today. Earlier men used to play Brahmin female characters. While Yakshagana was performed in the form of teams and included dance, music, live dialogue, acting, etc., it moved as a variation and thus became a solo dance form.
Sreelakhmi Govardhanan with his guru Pasumarthi Rattiah Sarma. Photo Credit: Linta TA
Srilakshmi states that the rigor of performing Kuchipudi Yakshagana led to the development of a standardized format and thus it became one of the eight classical dance forms of India. “If you know the basics you can learn Kuchipudi items in three days, but not Yakshagana. The focus is on the characters; how they speak, sing, move etc. and the dance is secondary. You have to be proficient in Telugu as well.”
Srilakshmi Govardhanan Photo Courtesy: Sabu Adityan
Srilakshmi recalls that when she started learning, she was not aware of the grandeur of the dance form. “It is a knowledge system and can be transferred from generation to generation only by a guru. So once I started my classes, I started preparing my students as well.” She further adds that learning Telugu has become a necessity not only for dance, but also because Rattiah Sarma speaks only Telugu.
still from the documentary to veil
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Kuchipudi Yakshagana also used to raise contemporary issues. Now the artistes take care to include the facts of the area where they are staging it. When the master came to Kerala, he included aspects of the state like weather, culture, literature etc.”
Sahal Hameed is the director and cinematographer of the documentary, which was first shown at the Srilakshmi Workshop held in the US two years ago. An edited version was recently screened in Thrissur.
Curtain Call will release on November 16 on streaming platform, Viewsi.
published – November 14, 2025 11:10 am IST