[1] Endowed and equipped with a life profile that also showed him to several traditional Indian performing arts other than Kathakali, his stage presentation infused a fresh breath into the four-century-old art form, thanks also to his broad and deep view about the Puranas (Indian mythology) that spurred from a constant pursuit of knowledge through reading books and engaging in talks with scholars.
All these never conspired to shed the element of classicism in Kumaran Nair's Kathakali performances, instead helped his acting-dancing techniques acquire a certain grand eclecticism that won him fans across Kerala and elsewhere.
In short, Kumaran Nair's style was a mix of intellect, imagination, and signature body language that took care not to breach or dilute the pure grammar of Kathakali all the same.
[2] A native of Vellinezhi, one of Kathakali's nerve centers in the Palakkad district, Kumaran Nair was primarily trained, from as early as the age of five, in the highly evolved Kalluvazhi style by Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon.
Much to the sorrow of his guru Pattikkamthodi, Kumaran Nair shifted base to Madras, where he became a master of choreography by teaching dance (for songs) to Tamil cinema star Ranjan.