Renowned Mohiniyattam artist Kalamandalam Sathyabhama has found herself at the centre of a raging controversy following her remarks against late actor Kalabhavan Mani’s brother and dancer R L V Ramakrishnan.
In an interview aired on a YouTube channel, Sathyabhama reportedly said that it was annoying to see men performing Mohiniyattam, and that he had the “colour of a crow.”

Disparaging the artist’s complexion, she said that he looked like a crow. It has been alleged that the artist was referring to RLV Ramakrishnan, younger brother of late actor Kalabhavan Mani.

“There is an artist in Chalakudy whose complexion is similar to the crow. Even the mother who gave birth to him cannot bear his performance. Besides, Mohiniyattam is an art form where you have to keep the legs wide apart. It looks vulgar when men perform it. In my opinion, men who perform Mohiniyattam should look fair,” Sathyabhama said in the interview.

Responding to her comments, RLV Ramakrishnan said that he will initiate legal action against Sathyabhama.

“My black complexion is my beauty and it is the identity of my race. A woman who uses the name of Kalamandalam said I am black as a crow and only people who are fair and beautiful would perform Mohiniyattam. She says even the mother who gave birth to me cannot bear my complexion. These people make it difficult for artists belonging to the Dalit community to survive in the field. I will continue my fight to bring such people before the law,” RLV Ramakrishnan said.

“I completed my Mohiniyattam course at RLV College in Tripunithura in 1996. I passed MA Mohiniyattam course from MG University with first rank after spending four years for my diploma and post diploma. I was the top scorer for the M Phil course in Performing Arts at Kalamandalam,” he said.

“I completed my PhD in Mohiniyattam at Kalamandalam and cleared the NET exam, qualifying myself for the post of assistant professor. Besides, Doordarshan has graded me as an A-Grade artist. I have been working as guest lecturer at Kalady Sanskrit University and RLV College for the past 15 years,” he further said.

Kalamandalam Sathyabhama defended her stance when television reporters confronted her at her residence in Thiruvananthapuram.

“A YouTube channel came to interview me and I shared my experience and view about Mohiniyattam. I never referred to RLV Ramakrishnan in the interview,” Satyabhama said.

Sathyabhama said she had quoted the principles of Natyashastra, an ancient Indian text on performance arts, and did not mean to insult any person, caste, or colour. She also said she feared no prosecution for speaking out the truth

“The channels are trying to denigrate me by twisting my comments. The police had arrived at my home to investigate the complaint. I gave them the link of the interview and informed them that I am ready to face legal action if I had said anything wrong against any artist,” she said.

The Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangam, an organisation of progressive writers, artists, and literature enthusiasts, has condemned Sathyabhama’s statement and demanded that the police investigate her for disparaging artistes from Dalit communities.

The Kerala Kalamandalam has issued a press release stating that the remarks made by Sathyabhama were unsuitable for a civilised society. It added that the name of ‘Kalamandalam’ to the name of the people like Sathyabhama is a disgrace to the institution.