Kathakali - Make up and Costume

Kathakali is a highly dramatic dance and the dancers make-up is very elaborate. Kathakali dancers must not appear human, instead they must appear to represent a particular mood or abstract aspect of life.

Kathakali make- up is based on a certain set of colors, each of which is used to represent a particular aspect. Make-up in Kathakali goes beyond simply acting as a method of decorating the face of the dancer and instead is used to transform the dancers into the characters they are playing. Once Kathakali dancers have put on their costume and make- up they are no longer themselves, they have assumed the life of the character they are playing. This is respected to such an extent that no one addresses the dancers by their real names, the performers playing different characters usually do not even converse while the show is on except on stage. A special person is responsible for doing the make-up and is known as a chottikkaran . A

chottikkaran is usually a revered teacher who has undergone extensive training in a vast number of artistic concepts. The chottikkaran faces the difficult task of correctly blending the colors to properly create the mood required.

Kathakali make-up differs depending on the type of character the dancer is playing. The basic make up for the heroes is coloring the cheeks and jaw bone light green and elongating the eyes, giving them a lotus shape. The forehead is colored white and the designs on it would vary depending on the character. The jawbone is exaggerated to make the face appear bigger. This is done by pasting cut-outs made of paper or papier-mache on to the face .Earlier rice flour was used. When dancers are required to display ferocity, a large ferocious mustache is painted which extends all the way to the upper cheekbone.

The dancers that play the villains, anti heroes or other special characters are given an additional bit of make-up, called a tadi or beard. The tadis are made in three colors, red, black and white. The colors symbolize how evil a character is, with the red tadi symbolizing the most evil character. The upper and lower halves of the face are painted black and red respectively, with red being the main scheme. The eyes of the villains are not elongated to make a lotus shape but instead they are square black patches to make them appear frightening. The paper cut-outs are square shaped and this combined with the elongation of the face due to the tadi gives the character an evil and threatening appearance. Sometimes they even have fangs protruding from their lips, and when this is combined with the screams and cries they utter, they are able to create an environment of fear. Characters that have black tadis are not depicted as evil, they usually represent the more off-beat characters of the story line. The basic color on their faces is black. The white tadi is for the characters that are half- human and half- God. The basic color scheme for them is yellow, to symbolize wonder. Finally the minor actors receive basic make up, their faces are painted a shade of pink with no attempt made at masking.

Kathakali is also known for its headgear. These are known as mudis and are carved from wood, cane or made from papier-mache. The villains wear headgear which is larger and more imposing than the heroe's. The symbolism that defines the different character types in Kathakali extends in the costumes. The good characters wear jackets which are either purple, blue or yellow while the villains wear red jackets. The white tadis wear white jackets. The lower half of the costume is common to all Kathakali dancers, except the minor characters described earlier. The dancers wear heavily pleated skirts with the aim of enlarging the form.

The costumes in Kathakali are very bulky and the make-up and headgear even more elaborate. This is where the tremendous training of the body is invaluable, for only a highly flexible body can execute the complex movements in the elaborate make-up and costumes of Kathakali.

ins wear headgear which is larger and more imposing than the heroe's. The symbolism that defines the different character types in Kathakali extends in the costumes. The good characters wear jackets which are either purple, blue or yellow while the villains wear red jackets. The white tadis wear white jackets. The lower half of the costume is common to all Kathakali dancers, except the minor characters described earlier. The dancers wear heavily pleated skirts with the aim of enlarging the form.

The costumes in Kathakali are very bulky and the make-up and headgear even more elaborate. This is where the tremendous training of the body is invaluable, for only a highly flexible body can execute the complex movements in the elaborate make-up and costumes of Kathakali.