A moving Mohiniyattam rendition of Poothappaattu in Hyderabad

A dance group in Hyderabad put on a show called 'Poothappaattu' based on a very old Malayalam poem.

The poem tells the story of a scary spirit called the Pootham who lived in the wild near a village.

She used to frighten people, but one day she met a little boy named Unni and began to love him.

The Pootham tricked him into dropping his iron stylus and carried him away to her cave.

His mother, Nangeli, searched everywhere and would not give up, even when the spirit scared her or offered her gold.

The frightened Pootham finally gave Unni back and even restored Nangeli's eyesight.

Nangeli then invited the Pootham to visit the village every year after the harvest.

But the Pootham never learned which house Unni lived in, so she still wanders from home to home looking for him.

The dancers wore beautiful white costumes and used music, lights, and expressive dance to bring the story to life.