A solo satirical dance-narration art form created by Kunchan Nambiar, judged on costume, the song and verse, pronunciation, expressive acting and rhythm.
Ottanthullal is the Kerala school Kalolsavam syllabus’s own name for a traditional solo dance-narration item, performed by a single artist in a distinctive tall headgear and colourful costume who sings or recites Malayalam verse while performing a steady, repetitive rhythmic step to a small live accompaniment of drum and cymbals. Unlike a dialogue item or a pure dance item, the same performer carries the narration, the movement and the comic timing alone for the whole slot, with no scene changes and no second performer to share the stage.
A round runs entrant by entrant within a fixed 10-minute window, with the warning bell at the 9-minute mark, scored out of 100 against five official criteria of 20 marks each. The item is not offered at the syllabus’s youngest school-class category at all; it is introduced only from the next category upward, where it runs as one mixed Both-gender competition, before splitting into separate Male and Female competitions at the two oldest categories.
Preparing an entry means learning the verse well enough to recite or sing it clearly while dancing at the same time, then rehearsing the accompanying footwork to the accompaniment’s actual beat until the costume, the narration and the rhythm all hold together for the full ten minutes – the syllabus scores all three separately rather than folding them into one general impression mark.
Kerala school Kalolsavam runs it to give this specific verse-plus-movement performance tradition its own dedicated slot, distinct from a classical dance item judged on movement alone and from a speech item judged on language alone – a school installing this template gets that scoring distinction built in from the start.
Where Ottanthullal comes from
Ottanthullal was created in the 18th century by the Kerala poet Kunchan Nambiar, traditionally said to have devised it as a plainer, faster alternative to Chakyar Koothu that ordinary audiences could follow and laugh along with. His verses combined narrative storytelling with pointed social satire in colloquial Malayalam, and that same combination of verse, rhythm and wit is still what the kalolsavam item scores today.
Where Ottanthullal is run
Ottanthullal is verified on the Kerala school Kalolsavam syllabus (identically on both eTalenter’s section-by-section kalolsavam-arts-festival template and the combined kalolsavam-all-sections template), on CBSE-affiliated school kalolsavams in Kerala – which, unlike the main state syllabus, install it only at the older of the two categories the main syllabus splits by gender, and keep that one slot mixed rather than splitting it – and on Mahatma Gandhi University’s own Kalotsavam, which runs it as a single university-level competition open to all students rather than by school class.
- Kerala, India
Key facts
- Always an Individual competition – no Team version on this syllabus
- Not offered at the syllabus’s youngest school-class category; introduced only from the next category upward
- Introduced as one mixed Both-gender competition, then splits into separate Male and Female competitions at the two oldest school-class categories (CBSE-affiliated kalotsavams instead run a single mixed competition at their one category)
- 10-minute time limit per performer, with the warning bell at the 9-minute mark
- Scored out of 100 against 5 official judging criteria of 20 marks each
- Language and musical style are left open on the syllabus (Any/NA) – no fixed language requirement
On eTalenter, Ottanthullal is filed under Classical Dance, On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 5 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Ottanthullal is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Ottanthullal
What a Ottanthullal panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Costume elegance (Veshabhangi) – 20 marks: how correctly and confidently the traditional headgear and costume are worn through the performance
- Music and lyrics – 20 marks: the quality and clarity of the sung or recited verse together with its accompaniment
- Pronunciation (Ucharanam) – 20 marks: clear, correct articulation of the Malayalam verse throughout
- Acting (Abhinayam) – 20 marks: expressive storytelling and comic timing carried through gesture and face, not just the steps
- Rhythm (Thalam) – 20 marks: staying precisely on the beat through the repetitive footwork for the full performance
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Ottanthullal under Scoring Setup, or start from the full Ottanthullal judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Ottanthullal
How entrants and their teachers usually get Ottanthullal right on the day:
- Learn the verse thoroughly enough to recite or sing it clearly while performing the footwork at the same time, since Pronunciation and Music/lyrics are both scored as separate 20-mark criteria
- Rehearse the steps to the accompaniment’s actual tempo rather than a generic practice beat, since Rhythm is judged on its own
- Source the traditional headgear and costume correctly and rehearse performing in it, since Costume elegance is scored separately from the performance itself
- Work on facial expression and comic timing alongside the steps, since Acting is judged as its own criterion, not folded into technique
- Time a full run-through so the piece fits comfortably within the 10-minute limit and doesn’t run past the 9-minute warning bell
- If competing at a CBSE-affiliated kalotsavam rather than the main Kerala state syllabus, confirm which category the local event runs it at, since some install it only at one school-class level
Ready-made event templates that include Ottanthullal
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerala Kalolsavam – All Sections | On Stage | Marks | 5 |
| Kerala School Kalolsavam | On Stage | Marks | 5 |
| Kerala State CBSE Kalotsav | On Stage | Marks | 1 |
| Malappuram Sahodaya Kalotsav | On Stage | Marks | 1 |
| MG University Inter Collegiate Youth Festival | Classical Dance | Marks | 1 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Ottanthullal judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is Ottanthullal judged individually or as a team?
Individually. The syllabus has no team version of this item.
Is this item open to both boys and girls?
It depends on the category and the event. On the main Kerala school Kalolsavam syllabus, the category where it is first introduced runs it as one mixed Both-gender competition, and the two oldest categories split it into separate Male and Female competitions. CBSE-affiliated kalotsavams instead run a single mixed competition at the one category where they install it.
Is Ottanthullal a classical dance item or a folk item?
It sits in the syllabus’s Classical Dance and On Stage listings, but it is really its own performance tradition – a solo dance-narration item combining sung verse, rhythm and comic storytelling – rather than a pure movement item like Mohiniyattam or Kuchipudi, or an unscripted folk-style routine like Nadodi Nrutham.
Does the item need live musical accompaniment?
Yes. The performer is traditionally accompanied by drum and cymbals, which sets the rhythm the footwork and the verse are both scored against.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full Ottanthullal judging criteria guide, or browse every classical dance competition item.
Try Ottanthullal in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Ottanthullal, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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