BENGALURU: "When we think of maestros in the world of classical music, who have left a lasting imprint, despite the ups and downs in their career paths, very few come to mind. Recently, we have had Bhimsen Joshi and Gangu Bhai Hanagal, who embody that spirit. But in the late 18th century, there was a musician, who shared a similar passion for music, despite facing far harder challenges. But his story is lesser-known,” says veteran Kannada actor Bhavana Ramanna, speaking about the legendary Carnatic musician Bhairavi Venkatasubbaiah, who reportedly hailed from Chittradurga in Northern Karnataka.
An upcoming dance-drama adaptation of Hamsa Geethe, the 1952 Kannada novel that chronicles the life and career of Bhairavi Venkatasubbaiah, features a solo performance by Ramanna. Penned by popular Navya writer T R Subba Rao (TaRaSu), Hamsa Geethe was also adapted into a national award-winning film in 1975 by veteran director GV Iyer, starring Anant Nag and Rekha Rao.
The new adaptation, which retains the original title, takes elements from both the novel, as well as the film, but according to Ramanna, features a fresh script.
“This performance explores the life of Venkatasubbaiah, his mastery over his namesake raga, the Bhairavi raga, and also a particular incident where he falls in love with a woman. It’s supposed to be a tribute to both the film and the novel,” shares
Ramanna, an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer, who is returning to the stage after her debut stage performance with a play based on the life of Kannada actor Kalpana, early last year.
But for Ramanna, preparing for Hamse Geethe has been especially challenging for reasons beyond the obvious. “First of all, I’m a woman who’s trying to tell the story of a man. And second, this is someone who lived more than 200 years ago. So to make his life story relevant in today’s times, bridging that gap in time was a challenge,” she shares, adding, “We wanted to make this story accessible to everyone, and not just people who may have read TaRaSu or have seen the film.
There’s a lot of historical context that comes with the story and without it, people may find it difficult to connect with the story. The choreographer, Veena Murthy, came up with a few ideas on how we can simplify the story and we also decided to include a prelude that gets people up to speed.”
(Hamsa Geethe will be staged on Jan 30, 6.30 pm at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleshwaram. Entry free. To register, contact 7483490143)