Sooraj Nambiar is a leading Kutiyattam artist, actor, and acting trainer whose craft is marked by precision and emotional depth. Trained under masters such as Padma Bhushan Ammannur Madhava Chakyar and guided by Guru G. Venu, he has spent over three decades bringing India’s 2000-year-old Sanskrit theatre tradition to contemporary audiences. Winner of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar and the Kerala

Kalamandalam Award, he is also the co-founder and artistic director of Tripudi – An Acting Laboratory, where he develops new pedagogies and mentors emerging performers.

Cilappatikaram - The Anklet’s verdict is a Kutiyattam performance, a traditional and ancient form of Sanskrit Theatre with 2000 years of unbroken history. Composed by Ilango Adigal in the 5th-century in Tamil, Cilappatikaram stands as one of the greatest classical epics of India. It traverses through the story of Kannaki, a devoted wife whose life is upended by tragedy when her husband Kovalan is unjustly put to death by the orders of the king. Grief drives Kannaki to challenge the king’s judgment, destroy the city of Madurai, and ultimately become deified. It holds a transformation that speaks to the power of moral outrage, eternal loyalty, and the ability to redeem suffering. The play also features Kapila Venu - a renowned Kutiyattam practitioner, senior Theatre director and curator - Sankar Venkateswaran, and Mizhavu artiste Kalamandalam Rajeev.