Appearing striking on the stage is not so easy for the locals playing the roles of iconic heroes of Ramlilas - as Gods and Godesses reciting dialogues from the epics of Ramayana. To make the actor feel like the character he is playing, his costume plays an important role.
In Ramlila shows staged at various places in the district, the Ramlila of Ramnagar is the most hit amongst the people with the colourful and realistic costumes worn by the characters. These socio-religious shows which are being showcased throughout the city by various Ramlila committees and the show lasts for 18 days till Dussehra. After Dussehra, Ravana is killed and Ramlila culminates with Raj Tilak of Rama.
Costume plays a major part in making the character realistic and it can even prove to be quite a stressful task, says the young photographer, Bharat Sharma in the role of Rama. It is so important to have the perfect dress and the ornaments since the dress worn by the actor lends to the liveliness of the character. Dialogues are delivered in the right spirit and action when the character himself feels like having taken the garb of a deity.
Bharat Sharma who is enacting Rama, said, “It literally weighs to play the character of incarnation of lord Vishnu-lord Rama. The ‘gada’ (weapon) weighs a few kilos and the character enacting Sita has to carry lehenga (flairy gown) weighing 10 kgs.” Here role of female characters is also performed by males. A college goer, Shivam, a working professional in SIIDCUl plays the role of lakshman and character of Sita is performed by Manish Sharma, a school-goer.
These youths have kept the Indian traditions alive inspite of all odds and financial crunch. The zeal to continue the 56 year old tradition has made these actors put in their efforts. The team members collect donations from people and an average Ramlila costs about Rs 4 lakh. “The head gear (mukut) which I wore in the character of Rama costs nearly Rs 5,000. Because of the imaginative styling and dresses of the characters, this Ramlila of Ramnagar is very popular.”
A grand Shiv Barat will be taken out after Dussehra followed by Bhandara (public feast) for the residents of Ramnagar, said the committee members.