Dheera Konduri 
Modern day Telugu culture would be incomplete if Surabhi Natakam was to go unnoticed. Sri Venketeshwara Surabhi Theatre, popularly known as Surabhi Natakam has a legacy of storytelling like no other. Natakam is the Telugu word meaning ‘play.’
Natikalu, Jaanapadalu, Sodi, and Padyalu are all oral traditions in the landscape of Telugu theatre and culture that Surabhi Natakam has upheld in its work.
Vanarasa Govinda Rao founded Surabhi Natakam in 1885.
The group’s journey began with the puppet show Keechaka Vadha, in a village called Surabhi in Kadapa district of modern day Andhra Pradesh. It is said that the first ever performance showcased tholu bommala aata (puppeteering) and padyalu (classical Telugu verse play). The story was from the Mahabharat and recounted the fable of Keechaka’s extermination.
Krishna and Balaram in conversation, from Mayabazaar. Photo: Dheera Konduri.
The company is now being run by the sixth generation of theatre practitioners. While they have moved into a proscenium theatre, their stories still often revolve around Hindu mythology. The groups is well known for their use of techniques and special effects to show rain, fire, flying birds, and so on.
This February, Surabhi Natakam gave free performances of two of their masterpieces, Jai Patala Bhairavi and Mayabazaar.
I attended all the three shows. The sheer joy one can experience watching these plays is indescribable. To see a diverse audience, coming from all walks of life – a retired officer, a foreign tourist with her son, families with young and old – was humbling. Several had arrived at the Saptaparni Cultural Centre after seeing an Instagram post.
Team Surabhi chanting a prayer after performing Mayabazaar. Photo: Dheera Konduri.
The stories they presented are woven into the very Telugu ethos of storytelling. The actors spun new images that the audience was likely to remember for a long time. Special effects included a ring of fire and flying arrows – all of which contributed to the magic.
The music during the face off between Ghatotkacha and Abhimanyu was a marvel to see.
In the play Mayabazaar, the presence that brought a smile to everyone’s face was that of a young seventh-generation Surabhi actor who walked onto the stage to announce, “Idigo Mayabazaar” – “this is Mayabazaar.”
Hidimba, a Rakshasa woman, to everyone’s surprise, was played by a man and similarly, Krishna was played by woman. Surabhi Natakam is known for bringing women on stage at a time when this was rare.
Maantrikudu or the magician stole the show in Jai Patala Bhairavi. His laugh was so evil that it petrified a child.
Maantrikudu praying to goddess Pathala Bhairavi in Jai Paathala Bhairavi. Photo: Dheera Konduri.
Moments like the flying of the sorcerer’s head after it was beheaded and the reappearance of the goddess in her true form were moving to watch.
The actors welcomed their audience for detailed talks on their craft after every show. In a world where a lot is inaccessible, this stood out.
Social media and then the pandemic put Surabhi Natakam through troubled times. With few producers looking to fund two-hour plays, Surabhi has had to stop bringing new productions. Sometimes, though, the group stages its legendary plays for no cost, offering rare treats to their audience.
Maantrikudu (Magician) asking for a boon in Jai Paathala Bhairavi. Photo: Dheera Konduri.
Surabhi Natakam had been bound for 140 years by a family tradition that prohibited outsiders from participating in their plays. Its current director Surabhi Jayachandra Varma’s grandfather Padma Shri Surabhi Babji Guru was steadfast in maintaining this rule.
However, the sixth generation of Surabhi has thrown its doors open and allowed new actors in. May it grow.
Dheera Konduri graduated in Mass Communication and Journalism from St. Francis College, Hyderabad and studied Filmmaking at the Dadasaheb School of Film Studies. She is a theatre enthusiast and practitioner.