Thullal, is the successor of Kathakali. Kunchan Nambiar who lived two centuries ago wrote the text of Thullal and choreographed it for the stage. All the sixty plays of Thullal composed by Kunchan Nambiar are replete with humour, sarcasm and social criticism. Thullal has three divisions Seethankan, Ottan and Parayan. The distinction between them lies mostly in the make-up and costumes and to some extent in the metres and the rhythm used. Thullal often reflects the literary, artistic and cultural life of the medieval Kerala.  In Thullal, episodes from the Indian Epics are retold in simple Malayalam poetry. The stylised singing of the lines carries with it the beauty of the dravidian metres. Thullal is a solo performance. As a semi-stylised dance-theatre, Thullal is a more popular entertainment than other temple arts. The performer establishes easy rapport with the audience through verbal acting which is full of humour and social references.

Text from Kalamandalam's Homepage

Vayalar Krishnankutty is one of the best performers of this act today.