Three New 1950s Kamala Dance Finds

I've been working on my "Remembering Film Choreographers" film series for a while now, but the first nattuvanar post is taking much longer than I thought!  I keep finding new research (and contradictory claims) and new angles and ways of approaching the subject, so in order to make my introductory post the best it can be I'm taking lots of time to read and synthesize...and keep continually re-editing my post... over and over. :)  I hope it will be ready in the next 2-3 weeks, but I learned my lesson about not giving timeframes for specific postings!

In the meantime, I thought I would post about three new Kamala dances I've come across recently.  Two are from the rare Tamil film song uploads of YouTuber "Kandasamy Sekkarakudi Subbiah Pillai," and the third was graciously sent to me by a visitor.  I've had the Mohanasundaram one on my big master spreadsheet of Kamala's film dances for a while, but the other two I have never read any references of before! Yay, new Kamala film dances to add to the list!

Sarvadhikari (Telugu, 1951) - Ore Ayaaramaa Sogusaaga - I've listed this one first because the number is so charming with interesting, creative non-classical choreography peppered throughout.  It starts at 1:05:01 with a Kathak-based dance by Kamala with some awkward footwork and then transitions into a cute folksy number with some nice group choreography at 1:06:41.  But it's the third segment, starting at 1:08:19, that is the most creative with its musical harmonies, rhythmic isolations, and dramatic conclusion as Kamala looks over the backup dancers perched on the staircase.  I initially found the Tamil version of this song at KSSP's channel, but the Telugu version at Rajshri is in much higher quality so that's what I've embedded below; the dances appear to be the same with some slightly different editing and reshots for the sung words.   Curiously, Tamil film and dance expert Randor Guy neither credits nor mentions Kamala's dance in his overview of the film at The Hindu. 

Starts 1:04:56

Mohanasundaram (Tamil, 1951) - Oyilaana Mayilaadam Paar Seylaana - Another non-classical number with lots of dramatic musical variety.  Nothing really caught my eye until the unusual final two segments--especially the last one in which Kamala dances furiously with sharp knives in her hands.  She even tries to trick us at the end with some feigned stab attempts!  I hope none of the crew were harmed by her haphazard flinging of the knives off-camera at the end... :D  Though I suppose Kamala's dance is not nearly as nerve-racking as Padmini and Lalitha's knife dance two years earlier in Mangayar Karasi (1949).  While Randor Guy does list Kamala in the credits, he doesn't discuss her dance at all in his review of the film.

Charanadasi (Telugu, 1956) - Maruvakuma Mano Ramana - A big thanks to TS Rao for sending me this dance number! Compared to the two dances above, this one is a much more traditional, classical-based "Kamala dance."  The film was made or dubbed in Tamil as Madharkula Mannikam. Given that Kamala married her first husband R.K. Lakshman in 1952, we can refer to her as "Kamala Lakshman" instead of "Kumari Kamala" for this one.

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