Abhaya Simha's Yakshottama

Here is a nice short video film on a Yakshagana artiste. Titled Yakshottama, it has been directed by Abhayasimha G A, a graduate from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and budding film maker.
Yakshottama is said to be based on the real life experience of an old artiste caught between the tradition vs modernity conflict in the context of Yakshagana. It has a few fleeting scenes of Yakshagana dance by Petri Madhav Naik, who plays the lead role in the film, and another artiste to the lilting tunes of Bhagavata Sathish Kedlaya.
Abhayasimha has also directed a documentary on Yakshagana poorvaranga as part of a project which documented a traditionally performed Yakshagana, Yakshottamara Kalaga. Abhay is not new in this. At least two known names in the today's film world had directed documentaries on Yakshagana quite early in their career. Nationally-acclaimed director Adoor Gopalakrishnan made a documentary on Yakshagana in the early 1970s while Kannada film director Kavitha Lankesh made a documentary on Keremane Shambhu Hegde and his Idagunji Mela during mid-1990s.

Abhay is currently working on a children's film Gubbachchi. Rangasthala wishes him a bright career and hopes to see more from him on Yakshagana....

Read more about Abhay's works in this write-up on a video film festival in the Hindu
Watch other short films by Abhay