The 1975 Kannada period film
Hamsageethe (“The Swan Song”) contains one of my favorite classical dances in Indian films ever. Directed by GV Iyer and based on Ta Ra Su’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of a carnatic musician and his missteps and personal growth on the path of devotion to god. The novel was based upon the supposed real life of the carnatic musician Bhairavi Venkata Subbiah who lived in the 18th century. UpperStall has a decent
review of the film, and a post at the
Ancient Indians - Satya Samhita blog (
archived here) lays out the basic plot.
Midway through the film, Venkatasubbaiah is invited to witness the performance of a Tanjore dancer who has made the challenge that the kingdom has no dancers to equal her. She gives a beautiful Bharatanatyam performance and is then followed by a local dancer for whom Venkatasubbaiah lends his beautiful voice. The scene is shot at the lovely Chitradurga Fort.
