MLC Umashri's maiden Yakshagana act wows Honnavar audience

As the night fell, curtains were raised and the grounds of St Anthony School in Honnavar opened up for Sri Rama Pattabhishekam, a Yakshagana performance by Peraduru Anantha Padmanabha Yakshagana Mandali.

- SUBHASH CHANDRA N S @Honnavar (Uttara Kannada)

The audience seemed to be waiting for the performance of someone special. The actor performing a tiny role of Manthara--a woman with hunchback--arrived on the stage. The audience jeered, cheered, clapped and reacted positively to her performance. The actor was none other than Kannada actor-cum-politician MLC Umashri, who for the first time tried acting in the coastal folk art Yakshagana.

Manthara in Ramayana is not a character that is liked by all. A wily cunning old woman serving Kaikeyi, mother of Bharatha, was a small character, but to a great extent responsible for Lord Rama's Vanavasa--the progress of the epic Ramayana. But at Honnavar, contrary to the size of the character, people waited for the arrival of Manthara (Umashri) who literally dominated the show. It was a new avatar for the veteran actor.