South Indian actress Shobana, who won the National Award for her role as a schizophrenic in Malayalam psychological drama Manichitrathazhu and has more than 200 films to her credit, is achingly modest about her achievements. At 48, she believes in rolling with the punches and made the most of the acting offers that came her way during her reign in the ’80s and ’90s.
“I don’t have time to look back at anything. I am who I am because of my experiences, my learnings in this creative world, my travels and meeting new people. Not a lot of people have the luxury of being liked, loved and blessed by so many people,” said Shobana in an interview with tabloid!. On Friday, she is likely to expand her fan base in the UAE as she brings her Indian classical dance recital Shakti to Ductac in Mall Of The Emirates.
Shobana, who has run a classical dance school Kalarpana in Chennai since 1994, is renowned for her evocative moves on stage. She’s one of the few actresses who have religiously followed her passion for Indian classical dance even at the peak of her acting career.
“I wish to excite people with music and dance,” said Shobana.
tabloid! caught up with the actress, who has managed to hold her own with acting heavyweights such as Mohanlal and Mammootty, ahead of her dance recital in the UAE, which has been organised by Tambourine Live. Excerpts from our interview:
What should we expect from Shakti, your Indian classical dance recital?
Shakti is a concept that the organisers came up with. It’s going to be a classical dance show and my duty is to carry the audience on a voyage. There are some things you can and cannot do in classical dance, so what I need to do is to push those boundaries without people thinking that I have not stuck to the original form.
Fusion is the latest buzz word among artists. Will you be weaving classical moves with modern steps?
I am not going to do any fusion. Some people think that fusion will draw in an audience. But the important thing there is what you fuse and how you fuse it. You can’t use the word ‘fusion’ in an advertisement and expect a great show. In my experience, Indian classical dance can be the most exciting but it all depends on how you present it. As a creative person, I am open to different things and I have enjoyed performances where I interacted with other artistes, musicians and art forms. They do not necessarily pertain to Indian classical domain, but there’s a particular way of doing it. You can’t just do things for the sake of fusion. Fusion has to stem from wanting to explore. For instance, if you are performing with a bass guitar, then you should know something about instruments. You can jam in your house, but performing in front of an audience is a different ball game. My performance is all pre-planned and will be executed carefully. But it’s not going to be fusion recital.
Your dance recital is being described as a celebration of feminine power and a prelude to International Women’s Day. How do you intend to do that?
I don’t know what it’s being billed as. Personally, I don’t believe in International Women’s Day. After all, there’s no International Men’s Day that we celebrate. These are just titles like Happy Day, Teacher’s Day etc. I don’t understand them. I am happy if my dance recital Shakti coincides with International Women’s Day, but I have drawn a blank here. I can’t say the regular stuff like I will do a woman-centric film because it’s International Women’s Day. In my eyes, there’s a good dance programme or a boring one. I am going for the first one. I can promise you that it will be an exciting dance recital.
Some may find Indian classical dance tough to follow. Have you considered diluting it to suit a broader audience?
You are talking about a traditional art form that existed 5,000 years ago. So even a so-called traditional dance of today keeps changing and evolving. But diluting it to make it palatable for a broader audience doesn’t make any sense to me. I do what’s aesthetic. The base structure of my dance has been gleaned from my teacher. Indian classical dance is like admiring a classical painting or enjoying the ballet or the opera. It has a code to it. There are hundreds of Indian artistes who only travel abroad and take their art forms to non-Indians. They have been doing it for years and are doing a splendid job of it. Obviously, there’s a sensibility among the human beings here which go beyond race, colour or country. An Indian might appreciate the lyrics of my recital because he’s familiar with the language and appreciate its tunes, but a westerner will appreciate its rhythm. It’s up to an individual to either come for an Indian dance recital out of curiosity or because he likes it. He doesn’t have to necessarily understand it completely.
As a Malayali, I cannot fully understand Kathakali (a colourful and ancient form of classical dance theatre, which originated in the temples of Kerala and combines sign language with drama, dance, music), because it has a code of sorts. But I love that art form because of its colours, rhythm and expressions. So, ideally you can’t really put these things in boxes and say foreigners may not understand it. So remember, even if you don’t understand the form entirely, it’s the aesthetics behind it that you may enjoy. All that you see on stage is something that a lay person cannot do. So there’s curiosity and amazement right there.
Also, I intend to give an English explanation along with my dance recital.
You have acted in more than 200 South Indian films and you have embraced some unconventional roles in Malayalam films. Is it safe to say that you have played by your own set of rules during an era when roles for women weren’t particularly strong?
I have done a whole bunch of conventional films in my career. Out of the 225 films I have acted in, 200 or at least 150 have all been this rigmarole of commercial films — the usual song and dance routine. However, Malayalam films at that point had a little more for the female subjects to do. I was lucky to be a part of some very good films back then. It was Malayalam film’s golden era and I was lucky enough to work with directors of international repute. They instilled a certain sensibility in me. But if you are trained in commercial cinema, then you become an expert at choosing the right films and maintaining a balance between commercial films and roles with depth. So if you see artists such as Naseeruddin Shah or Shabana Azmi, they do a bit of everything. There is no point in saying that I will only do a particular kind of cinema when Indian films are all about colour and dance. If you are an actress, you should do both with aplomb. And there is nothing like this or that kind of cinema.
But did you ever feel like a sell-out?
No. If it’s something I embraced, why would I think it’s a compromise. Wearing heavy jewellery and make-up is a part and parcel of Indian films. It’s like saying that musicians should only stick to classical musical instruments. There are so many percussionists who jam. It’s about what you want to do. So I don’t condemn or look down upon any kind of role.
The entertainment industry is notoriously ageist, do filmmakers know what to do with an artist of your calibre now?
I don’t do films anymore. I just did a film a year ago and it did reasonably well at the box-office. And that team was motivating. Also, I only have a certain amount of time during the day. I have a dance school (Kalarpana that teaches Bharatnatyam) to run, concerts to attend and a home to look after. My kid is going to school now and she has projects to finish. It’s not easy being a parent and also run around for a film. But if I am suitably motivated by a role, then I will consider signing on a film. I might consider doing a film every two years.
Don’t Miss It!
When: March 6, Friday
Where: Ductac, Mall Of The Emirates
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: Dh500, Dh300, Dh200 and Dh100.
Contact: 04-3414777 or go to ductac.org.
