Koothu basically played in temples is a mono-act with sarcastic comments and jokes on people from all walks of life including the rulers. This art were performed by a single actor Chakyar, who acts the roll of all characters to the rhythm of the Mizhavu played by a Nambiar and the Cymbals by the Nangiar. The story, mostly adopted from the Puranas with parallels from the day to day life of the people. It emphasize a point or relate to the moral aspect of the story he is playing. Chakyar crack jokes even at the expenses of the dignitaries present in the audience and considered it as his privilege. Normally nobody will resent such comments or jokes and in case anybody object Chakyar will stop playing and leave the stage.

Painkulam Rama Chakyar who headed the Kalamandalam's Koodiyattam department was a maverick. Rama Chakyar boldly brought Koothu outside the temples in the late fiftees. He thus incurred the wrath of the caste-conscious conservatives in the field. But Chakyar did not made any compromise. He liberated these esoteric art forms from the dark cells of taboos and inhibitions. From 1965 Koodiyattam, Nangiarkoothu, the 'Nirvahana' of its female characters and Koothu were made available for study to aspirants all over the world. Kalamandalam has produced a handful of gifted artists in the field.