Serious movies about dance are few and far in number. While dancing in motion pictures is typically seen just as a mode of entertainment, there are some who go to great lengths in order to maintain the sanctity of their trade. Natyam released in 2021 is such a production.
Natyam marks the Telegu debut of Sandhya Raju, a Kuchipudi dancer and daughter-in-law of industrialist Ramalinga Raju. Though adept in specifically Kuchipudi, dancer Sandhya takes on the meticulous task of representing a picture of Indian classical dance in the film.
A preconceived cursed premise and its need for representation become the movie’s focal point. Kadhambari is a goddess who has protected a village of dance. Kadhambari is a person who has fallen in love. In a cross-connection between the purest form of love and supposed divinity, Natyam stresses the value of the art form to bridge these gaps.
Though praised for the immaculate presentation of dance and emotions portrayed by Sandhya Raju, Natyam has been unable to bring in a lot of positive responses. However, in its conception, the film makers and artists had exhausted all possibilities that could be explored to maintain the authenticity of the film.
Theatre actor and artist Kamal Kamaraju was cast in the film while he was filming for another project titled Maharshi in 2019. To get down the ministrations of the average classical dancer, he took part in a nine-month Kuchipudi training. The filming took place at many locations across Andhra Pradesh, Hampi in Karnataka, and Hyderabad in Telangana.
It also involved shooting at the Lepakshi Temple in Andhra Pradesh. Kamaraju said “After a lot of effort, permissions were granted to film inside the temple, but we had to do it during the day. Dancing bare feet on the stone surface in the 40-degree summer heat and modifying their footwork to suit the ups and downs of the temple sapped all their energy and their feet needed soothing balms when the heat took a toll. We pushed ourselves.” To the credit of Raju, the film succeeded in winning the award for Best Choreography at the 68th National Film Awards.
A passion project fuelled by the need to represent a classical art form on the big screens was a consuming desire of the production team. As something that could be made favourable with better execution and storytelling, Natyam is a cinema of potential. As a form yet underrepresented in cinema, it is an earnest exploration of the beauty of classical dancing.
