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Prabhath Kalavidaru’s lavish ballet on Rama now onlineThe Bengaluru group, known for its rich operatic productions, is presenting ‘Shree Rama Prateeksha’ till May 25
Tini Sara Anien
DHNS
Last Updated IST
'Shree Rama Prateeksha' is about people's devotion towards lord Rama.
'Shree Rama Prateeksha' is about people's devotion towards lord Rama.

Prabhath Kalavidaru, the 86-year old performance group based in Bengaluru, is presenting a lavish mythological ballet online.

With the pandemic closing all opportunities for physical shows, ‘Shree Rama Prateeksha’ is being streamed at 7 pm every day on BookMyShow. It is on till May 25.

The Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu versions of the ballet were recorded at ADA Rangamandira in February this year.

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“The ballet is about people waiting for Rama with hope. It is not merely a synoptic presentation of Valmiki’s ‘Ramayana’ but also a tale about selfless devotion. It upholds the values of righteousness and honesty espoused by Rama," says Harish Prabhath, coordinator and lead performer.

The dance was choreographed by Udupi Laxminarayanacharya and Hema Prabhath. Pandit Vijaya Raghava Rao composed the music while the screenplay was by T G Venkateshachar.

Prabhath Kalavidaru, established in 1935 by Harikatha Vidwan Gopinath Das with the support of his brothers Karigiriachar, Jayasimhadas, and Dwarkanath, has created 20 ballets on a wide range of subjects.

“We were the first to introduce pre-recorded musical dance-dramas in South India. It was aimed to provide seamless entertainment without any lag between the scenes,” says Harish.

The group's well-known mythological productions are ‘Shree Krishna Vyjayanthi’, ‘Mahishasura Mardhini’, ‘Hari Bhaktha’, and ‘Mohini Bhasmasura’. Shows like ‘Cinderella’, ‘Kindari Jogi’ and ‘Punyakoti’, all having fantasy themes, were big hits. The group has also done popular historical dramas like ‘Karunada Vaibhava’, ‘Dharma Bhoomi’ and ‘Sri Krishna Devaraya’.

Huge cast

A three-camera set-up and a 75-member team, comprising professional artists and technicians, came together to create the two-hour ballet.

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(Published 07 May 2021, 23:55 IST)