Maricha the charming golden deer appears only for a few fleeting moments in The Ramayana. But his story endures. Born to the demoness Tataka, Maricha’s life arc begins and ends with Rama. Ever since Rama’s arrow kills his brother Subahu, Maricha has nurtured a simmering grudge against Rama. It was only logical then to agree when his nephew Ravana sought his help in his grand ploy to abduct Sita. Because deep down, in his heart, he knew he wanted to die at Rama’s hands. 

These contradictions in Maricha’s character come beautifully alive in Enam, a dance theatre production by Bharatanatyam artiste Karthik Manikandan. He transforms into deer with deft movements and expressions. Enam, Karthik’s first solo production, shows off his strengths as a dancer and actor. Having learnt Kathakali as well, Karthik blends various elements of dance and drama to build an engaging narrative.

“When you begin to think of it, Maricha is a fascinating character. Flitting through the forest, a flash of gold in the darkness of the trees, he lures Rama deeper into the woods, crying out for Lakshmana in Rama’s voice, in a final act of treachery. I wanted to explore the many shades of the character,” he says. 

Karthik’s choreography blends various elements — the jatis of Bharatanatyam, the slokas in the style of Kathalaki padas and a hint of folk music such as sarpam thullal (a traditional ritual art performed to appease snake Gods). “When I was thinking of producing my own piece, I had Hidimbi, the powerful asura character from The Mahabharata in mind. But it was dancer Manju V Nair who suggested Maricha. The idea appealed to me and I started reading up, and trying to understand the various nuances,” says Karthik.

The one-hour-50 minute piece took seven months to achieve its current form, he says. While the music has been composed by Uduppi Srinath, the lyrics have been penned by Vellinezhi Harikrishnan (who is also a Kathakali artiste) in Manipravalam. 

Karthik’s Maricha is playful, intense and cunning all at once. “When he sees Sita for the first time, he is awestruck by her beauty. He plays with Sita, enchanting her with his grace and charm. But soon he transforms into the cunning demon when he spots Rama,” says Karthik.

Born and brought up in Kallekkulangara, Palakkad, Karthik has been learning dance from a very young age. Currently learning Bharatanatyam under Parshwanath Upadhye, Shruti Gopal and Adithya PV at the Upadhye School of Dance in Bengaluru, Karthik aims to focus on Bharatanatyam. 

Karthik has performed Enam across stages in Kerala and outside.