FILM ARCHIVES
Abhinaya Darpana
by Acharya Parvati Kumar; Director: Saraswati Swaminathan.
Producer: IGNCA; Colour, U-matic, 2 hrs.
Nandikesvara’s Abhinaya Darpana attributed to the 4th to 6th C. AD is a standard text on dance Nrtya which is followed by many schools of classical Indian dance. However, no contemporary dance Guru had attempted to interpret the text through systematic rendition to recreate the textual description of movements. Guru Parvati Kumar, known both for his adherence to the classical tradition of Bharatnatyam as also for his innovation as a choreographer has reconstructed a written text into performative text, verse by verse, section by section. There could be no better proof of the dynamics of continuity and creativity as also interplay of sastra and prayoga in the Indian tradition. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts thought it appropriate to document this rare creative skill of a contemporary dance Guru. It is hoped that Gurus of other styles will be stimulated to interpret the many regional texts of music and dance belonging to different original schools.
Mohiniattam
by Kalyanikutty Amma;
Director: Saraswati Swaminathan.
Producer: IGNCA; Colour, U-matic, 1hr. 30 mts.
Kalyanikutty Amma, wife of the renowned Kathakali actor late Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair has dedicatedly taught the near forgotten by recently resurrected and reconstructed style of Mohiniattam. In the last few decades it has gained renewed popularity. While the debate on what constitutes the authentic technique and repertoire of Mohiniattam will go on, artists like Kalyanikutty Amma carry on a tradition inherited with ease, unself consciousness and without presumptions. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts film attempts to record a comparatively more authentic style of Mohiniattam.
Uday Shankar
Director: Debabrata Roy.
Producer: Debarata Roy Production;
Colour, 16mm, 42 minutes.
A ceaseless spirit of enquiry and experimentation characterised Uday Shankar’s life and it is perhaps this sense of adventure and enquiry which led him also to uncover layers of the past in the Indian dance traditions. His searching mind drew upon the recesses of the tradition: myths and legends. His inspiration came from ancient memories of the Kings and the dance of the dhobies. At the same time he was sensitive to the mechinisations of modern life. All these blended together to make his dance-drama full of rythm life. His contribution technically lay in a very creative response to finding and identifying a suitable style and form. Despite his pursuit of the roots of the traditions which had re-established classical art, he endeavoured to create integrated compositions in a modern idiom.
IGNCA presented this film from its Archives on documentations of creative expression of legendary cultural figures, their performance and their teachings.
Colours of Absence
Director: Arun Khopkar.
Producer: The Gallery Art Trust, Madras;
Colour, U-matic, 30 minutes.
The film is an attempt to introduce the life and creative achievements of one of India’s well-known artist, Jahangir Sabavala. It evokes the nature and quality of Sabavala’s life and work through words, photographs and images, dissolving into each other over the canvasses. It shows a harmonious relationship between the artist and the film-maker. The creative use of light, ‘chroma’ and sound highlights the intensity of the contents. Thus, a proverbial ‘dialogue’ between the camera and the canvass is established. And, the result is an unusual audio-visual charm. The artist speaks his mind and the film-maker faithfully transfers his ideas into visual images to fascinate as well as to inform.
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