Theyyam is an ancient ritual-dance from North Kerala. Older, more spectacular and more socially relevant than the famous Kathakali.
'Theyyam', comes from 'deivam', Malayalam for god. Theyyam is traditionally performed by the lowest castes. When the performer dons the Theyyam costume, he transforms into a representation of god. In ancient Kerala, Theyyam was the only way the suppressed could rise above and question the caste and feudal systems.
'Where The Gods Give Up Caste', is a personal tribute to this ancient ritual and to all the Theyyam artistes of North Kerala.
‘Where the gods give up caste!’ is a look at the origin of Theyyam (a traditional dance form of North Kerala, and predecessor to the more famous Kathakali) and the role it, together with other art and cultural expressions, can play in creating a casteless, borderless society.
Theyyam is a traditional dance form of North Kerala. A form not as famous as Kathakali but no less illustrious, no less colourful, no less engaging, a lot more ancient. 'Theyyam' or 'Deivam' literally means God. It was originally devised, arguably, as a form of expression wherein the lower castes not allowed entry into temples created their own. When they donned the Theyyam they became Gods and mingled with man casteless, creedless, without any prejudice.
Caste system, comparable to racism, and segregation based on religion is still rampant in India. I was brought up in a household where there was no place for caste or religion. In this film I explore the connections of Theyyam with caste, and compare it with the role the other arts and crafts of North Kerala have played in tackling casteism and communalism.
This film is not only my statement against caste and communalism it is my tribute to the various art forms and the people of Kerala and in specific my awe at one of the brightest and most colourful phenomena, Theyyam, and the people behind the art.
Fifty years apart: Tales from Sarbatwalla Chowk is a feature-length documentary on life in Sarbatwalla Chowk, today and how it used to be 50 years back.
The stories of these two times play out simultaneously throughout the film on two parallel tracks – sound and picture.
The sound track narrates, through the stories of Farrukh Dhondy from his book “Poona Company”, an account of life in the Chowk fifty years back.
The picture track documents life in Sarbatwalla Chowk today, following not the text of the stories, but the geographical arrangement of the streets in the Chowk.
The two tracks play out separately, unconnected to each other, sometimes co-inciding, sometimes diverging. By making connections between what they see at one point with what they hear at another point, viewers draw their own picture of the place, how it is now and what it used to be 50 years back.
