Performing Arts[edit]

In the Indian performing arts, a rasa is an emotion inspired in an audience by a performer.

They are described by Bharata Muni in the Ntyasstra, an ancient work of dramatic theory.
Rasas are created by bhavas: the gestures and facial expressions of the
actors.[3] Expressing Rasa in classical Indian dance form is referred to as Rasa-abhinaya.
The Ntyasstra carefully delineates the bhavas used to create each rasa.
The theory of rasas still forms the aesthetic underpinning of all Indian classical dance and
theatre, such
as Bharatanatyam, kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Kudiyattam, Kathakali and others.
The expressions used in Kudiyattam or Kathakali are extremely exaggerated theatrical
expressions. The opposite of this interpretation is Balasaraswathi's school of subtle and
understated abhinaya of the devadasis. There were serious public debates
when Balasaraswathi condemned Rukmini Devi's puritanistic interpretations and applications
of Sringara rasa. The abhinaya of the Melattur style of abhinaya remains extremely rich in
variations of the emotions, while the Pandanallur style expressions are more limited in
scope.
Bhavas[edit]
The Natyasastra identifies eight rasas with eight corresponding Bhava (mood):

Rati (Love)
Hasya (Mirth)
Soka (Sorrow)
Krodha (Anger)
Utsaha (Energy)
Bhaya (Terror)
Jugupsa (Disgust)
Vismaya (Astonishment)

Influence on cinema[edit]
Rasa has been an important influence on the cinema of India. The Rasa method of
performance is one of the fundamental features that differentiate Indian cinema from that of
the Western world. In the Rasa method, empathetic "emotions are conveyed by the
performer and thus felt by the audience," in contrast to the Western Stanislavski
methodwhere the actor must become "a living, breathing embodiment of a character" rather
than "simply conveying emotion." The rasa method of performance is clearly apparent
in Malayalam Cinema and internationally acclaimed parallel Bengali films directed by Satyajit
Ray. The latter is indebted to the Rasa method of classical Sanskrit drama, in the sense that
the complicated doctrine of Rasa "centers predominantly on feeling experienced not only by
the characters but also conveyed in a certain artistic way to the spectator. The duality of this
kind of a rasa imbrication" shows in The Apu Trilogy (19551959), which itself has had a
large influence on world cinema.[4] In Hindi cinema, it is the theme of the film Naya Din Nayi
Raat , where Sanjeev Kumar played nine characters corresponding to nine Rasa.