Mohiniattam dancer Gopika Varma presents ‘Chayamukhi’. Sept.20

Mohiniattam dancer Gopika Varma, a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee is presenting her recent solo production,  “CHAYAMUKHI” on stage on Sept. 20 as part of the Onam festival hosted by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mylapore.
This piece moves a bit from the classical attam and weaves attam and theatre into it.
The plot starts with Hidimbi, married to Bhima, procuring a magic mirror from the Gandharvas, which reflected what the heart of the one looking into it desired and nurtured, rather than the face.
\Passing the mirror on to Bhima, her husband, she had him look into it, expecting that her face would be reflected as the loved one. Shocked and deeply wounded when she saw the face of Draupadi instead as the image in Bhima’s heart, Hidimbi becomes the faceless one wandering aimlessly.
There is more to the story, woven with snippets from the epics.
Gopika says this production was inspired by another production she watched some years ago.
Open to all. Starts at 6.30 p.m.