Ravan in a new light and Shobana's Maya :)

Thank God for Shobana!! Was what I was thinking after watching Maya Ravan last night (on DVD :( - wish I could have watched the live performance ) Not because she is such a brilliant actress and so good at Bharatanatyam, but because she brings so much creativity and artistic freedom to a very traditional dance form. Though so much of the dance is based on Bharatanatyam, there are so many deviations from the classical form, that the DVD cover says 'musical dance ballet' :) But the combination of unconventional elements works - the English narration, the voice-over dialogues, the bollywood style dream sequences, the humour, the attempts at cuteness, the costumes, and everything else in it! Really enjoyed it!! Like my childhood dance teacher used to say - there is nothing that a dancer can't depict through Bharatanatyam.

Loved the costumes, loved the music (specially the 'Shree ramchandra kripalu bhajman' in Rama's introduction scene)

Most memorable parts for me - Rama's introduction scene, the scene where queen Kaikeyi is possessed by Ravan, Sita's wedding, and the forest scene with Soorpanaka. And also the debate on the concept of Dharma between Ravan and Mandodari.

The only issue I had with Maya Ravan was that it begins brilliantly but loses its momentum somewhere in the second half and the end though good doesn't live up to the promise of the opening scenes. And for me this was true for the dance, the music and the narration :( I've watched the DVD a couple more times since, and each time until the 'Sita's abduction' scene though. Not that the second half wasn't good, just that the first part is so good, that it leaves you expecting even better things afterwards...

But Shobana and Nasseruddin Shah together as the face and voice of Ravan are the highlights of the performance. Never has Ravan been so charismatic, charming, good looking and so very witty in any TV serial or comic book :)