Wikipedia
Aattakatha is a literary genre in Malayalam language consisting of the libretto used for the Indian classical dance drama kathakali. The word aatta-katha literally means "story for dancing and acting" (atu "to dance" + kathā "story"). The narrative framework of aattakatha consists quatrains in Sanskrit metres where the diction also is heavily Sanskritised; the dialogue part, however, is made up of padas, which can be set to raga (tune) and tala (rhythm) and have to be rendered by means of gestures and body movements by the actors while being sung by musicians from behind.
The origins of aattakatha literature dates back to the 12th century and it emerged as a literary genre in the 17th century. The earliest of the aattakathas is believed to be a cycle of eight Ramayana stories (collectively known as Ramanattam), composed by Kottarakkara Tampuran and about whose date there is an ongoing controversy. Next in importance are the works of Kottayathu Tampuran whose period is about the middle of the seventeenth century. Since the four aattakathas he wrote Bakavadham, Kalyanasaugandhikam, Kirmeeravadham and Kalakeyavadham punctiliously conform to the strict rules of kathakali, they are particularly favoured by orthodox artistes and their patrons. Another poet of this category is Irayimman Thampi (1783-1863). Unnayi Variyar’s Nalacharitham Aattakatha is one of the most famous works in this genre.
Aattakatha: The Final Rehearsal is a 2013 Malayalam musical romance film written and directed by Kannan Perumudiyoor. The film marks his directorial debut and is based on his own novel Cholliyattam. He had earlier produced films such as Ee Puzhayum Kadannu (1996) and Nakshatratharattu (1998). Set in the background of Kathakali, Aattakatha depicts the power of love which crosses boundaries.
The film has six songs composed by late music maestro Raveendran and penned by late poet Gireesh Puthenchery. A long delayed project, it released on 24 May 2013.
Aattakatha is a 1987 Indian Malayalam film, directed by J Williams and produced by Thiruppathi Chettiyar. The film stars Sukumari, Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent and Ratheesh in lead roles. The film had musical score by Raghu Kumar.
Aattakatha may refer to:
- Aattakatha (performance), story for dancing and acting
- Aattakatha (1987 film), Malayalam film released in 1987 starring Ratheesh and Anjali Naidu
- Aattakatha (2013 film), Malayalam film released in 2013 starring Vineeth and Meera Nandan