The Great Tamil Epic - Silapadikaram and it's Sequel, Manimgalai depict the woman, Kannagi and her touching story.
The emotions depicted in this tragic story bring a whole lot to the viewer, some of it indigestible.
The kingdom is a flourishing one, where all is well, the people happy and prosperous.
The tale of a princess, whose world is thrown awry by the waves of unsettled thoughts and wishes of others.
Several tales of similar angst find their way here in the dance dramatic depictions.
In many tales of yore, we see..
The princess is expected to marry one, against her wishes.
She loves another to whom she has given her heart.
Her world is thrown upside down when she is forced to do, what her heart tells her, not to.
Her silent sorrow and then unbearable angst in the tales speak volumes of the travails of women.
In this beautifully written epic, Kannagi and the other woman in her life, whose presence is intolerable for her, makes for an immersive reading experience.
Brought to life in the reel world and on several stages across the country and now here, in the virtual educational cum entertainment platform, the story tell many a tale in the bigger story, that ends on a heart rendering note.
The climax scene is one which every woman of the modern times too can identify with.
Today's modern woman, who yearns to have her freedom yet take care of the family and balance her inner wishes, creative pursuits or intellectual desires can relate to this.
Kannagi can be identified as living in all these woman, in parts and fleeting moments when her images and life come into our souls turn by turn, dwelling in the present day woman's physical selves to express her sadness, anger and frustrations.
Whether it be a writer, dancer, artist or singer, Kannagi's tale is relevant in these times of crimes aginst women.
The pathos of the tale brings out the undeniable fact that many a women are not safe in the streets or anywhere else even today, their wishes and lives not valued enough, as much as it should be.
Here, as a parralel tale, the dnace sequences attempt to let them speak in their intervening stories too, giving voice to their shattered hopes and dreams.
It is a story of many women, in the past and the present.
The difference is that then, the stories remained untold sordid stories that were brushed away under royal carpets, to be hidden for the sake of the kingdom's and throne's sovereignty to stay intact and unaffected.
A queen, princess, or one of noble birth is not immune to being hurt, tormented or cast aside by those who did not heed her words or desires.
The kingdoms of the past have seen many an upheavel when the princess of a land is disheartened, captured or in any way cornered into a situation where she is silenced.
An example is this is below.
The recent depiction of Padmavati, the tale of a lovely queen over whom a besotted one, who was obsessed with her tried to have her for himself, not taking into account the fact that she did not like him at all and was already married.
When war breaks out between the kingdoms, the ruthless invading king takes over the imprisoned kingdom of the queen, while her husband, the ine she is devoted to, the righteous king is killed in battle, defending his kingdom.
But he does not get to have her, as by the time he reaches the captured fort, she and other women there have immolated themselves and given themselves up to God.
All the sadist lover gets to see is the burning pyre of his beloved one of his fertile imagination.
He leaves horrified, disheartened; a changed man, left only with her memories now.
All these tales come to life here again, after eons of centuries to beseech all, not to allow another such tragedy to happen.
It speaks for the women then and the women now, the men who stood by, the men who could have made a difference and didn't....
The men who tried their best too are featured here.
