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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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From Italy to Kerala, in search of art and its completeness

The dim-lit stage, with its hand-stitched curtain of bold geometric designs barely concealing the artist, set the mood. The warm hues from the flickering kalivilakku (traditional lamp) added an aura that evoked centuries of aesthetics and a way of life where art was inseparably woven into human existence. It was in such a setting at the Margi theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday that Giulia Tonello debuted her Kathakali performance. It marked the culmination of three months of rigorous training for the Turin-born artist, whose English is still tinged with Italian and whose Malayalam is, at best, pidgin. And the stage became the true test of her learning. Giulia grew up with art all around her grand piazzas, Baroque architecture and classic museums like the Museo Egizio and the National Museum of Cinema that define Turin in northwest Italy. She had found in her city art expressions that spoke silently yet eloquently. Yet, something was amiss, she says. Art was there, but more as part of the whole than as the whole itself. Giulia being readied as Krishna by her guru Sadanam Vishnu Prasad. The 25-year-old came to Thiruvananthapuram in September, seeking that sense of completeness. The eclectic movements and deep, soulful expressions of Kathakali drew her in. Its so complete an art, says the theatre studies student from the University of Turin, who is in Kerala on a scholarship. Here, artists live it every bit. Back home, art is everywhere but not many artists imbibe it in whole. There is no growing into or unison with the art like it is here. Giulia found the wholeness she was seeking in Kathakali, notes Sadanam Vishnu Prasad, who trained her in purapaadu (introduction), mudraparichayam (hand gestures), and kaalsadhakam (adavus or legwork) the foundational lessons in Kathakali. Kathakali is indeed a complete art form, with delicate balances of nritya, nritta, and natya (dance, drama, and body movements) as well as sangeetam and vadyam (music and percussion), he adds. Giulia took stage ahead of a performance of Nalacharitam Third Day by the Margi troupe. We prepared her in 18 classes. It was very intensive, and her determination was exemplary, says Vishnu, seated in the green room painting facial makeup patterns in predominantly green hues and accenting them with other softer colours, all traditionally Ayurvedic blends. Giulias role for the evening was that of Lord Krishna. Purapaadu is the introductory dance, mostly legwork. It is to invoke the gods for their blessings for a bright path ahead, she explains. Final look: Giulia Tonello Back in Italy, Giulia is part of three theatre groups. It was during one performance that my professor told me I should go to Kerala to learn more about theatres ultimate expressions, she says. For this, he suggested that I first gain the balance of mind, body, thoughts, and soul. He had taken up Kalari and Kathakali himself, and recommended the same to me. And here I am, she says, sitting through the elaborate five-hour Kathakali make-up process. As the chutti artist begins, she remains still while strips of paper, cotton, and cloth dipped in rice water are pasted along her face in a semi-spherical frame. One of her friends at Margi opens her notebook kept beside and gestures what the jottings in Italian were. Giulia suppresses a chuckle, and points to her sketches of mudras and expressions on the subsequent pages of the book to give a glimpse into her diligence. Her notebook is filled with drawings of mudras and notes on talam. I wrote down everything so that I could practise after my 90-minute training session every day, Giulia says. Language often stood between Giulia and her guru, as both had only a smattering of English. But there was a language that emerged between us from all this of gestures and the grammar of Kathakali, she adds. Guilia recalls rushing from her rented accommodation in Kamaleshwaram to CVN Kalari for training sessions at 6 am every day. Then she would head to Margi for her Kathakali lessons around noon. I would again go back for kalaripayattu in the evening, and then at home by 6pm, I would practise the days lessons for about 60 minutes. The regimen was difficult at first, but slowly, I got tuned to a discipline and lifestyle that I began to enjoy. Art, as I wanted, began to fill my life, she notes. On her off days, she found time to travel to Kanyakumari, visit temples, and even attend a Carnatic concert. I had googled about Kerala after my Kalari trainer in Paris introduced me to the state in June. But it was very different when I came here, she says. Its been amazing. And I find the penchant for art here so impressive. One does not see this in Italy. Though I loved the food here, I did miss pasta and made it once in a while at home. Vishnu asks her to stop speaking so as to avoid disrupting the facial makeup process. Now she knows everything the way of life. She would come rushing from Kalari for Kathakali lessons and wouldnt have eaten anything. She would then share our food. She adjusted well to everything here. Giulia, who will leave for Italy on December 6, hopes to return next August for advanced training in the various veshams (roles) of Kathakali. Before that, she wishes to host her friends from Margi in Turin with help from her university. The world should know about the hidden talents of these wonderful artists who have given their life for this art. Such involvement is rare, she smiles, before turning still and silent for the chutti.

28 Nov 2025 12:51 pm