While I featured one song (the exquisite Bharatanatyam Padam piece) from the Tamil film
Sringaram in my "
Practice Scenes" post a while back, I feel it is high time I feature
all of the dance songs from this wonderful film. I was rewatching all the dances this week and was reminded of how strikingly exceptional they are compared to the vast majority of classical-based film dances (
especially of recent years). I had initially only posted one song from the film in the hopes that it would be released on DVD soon, but it appears that will probably never happen.
About the Film
Sringaram, a Tamil film directed by Sharada Ramanathan, was made in 2005 (and received National Film Awards for that year) but was not theatrically/publically released until 2007. The film is a period piece about devadasi dancers and focuses on two dancers in particular, Madhura (Aditi Rao Hydari) and Kama (Hamsa Moily), and their struggles with their positions and desires (and feminist ideas!). Manju Bhargavi also plays a role in the film and dances in a number. I wrote a long, screencap-filled review of the film
here.
What is most striking about the film is its artistry; there are no filmi determents or commercial distractions, and as the film ends you find yourself questioning your understanding of its reality and pondering its characters as metaphors. The art direction, visuals, lighting, and costumes greatly enhance the beauty and charisma of the period atmosphere.
The Exceptional Dances
These characteristics of the film carry over into the dances which are notable in having a heavy classical influence in visual appearance and a serious tone. What's disappointing is that while most of the dances have all the trappings of a classical number (authentic costumes, jewelry, and settings), the choreography is not as authentic as one would expect. On some of the numbers I get so excited when they begin just by looking at them (especially the ones with the cotton practice-saris), but as the dance plays out I find myself let down. Costumes have a way of distracting us from the choreography, don't they!
These characteristics of the film carry over into the dances which are notable in having a heavy classical influence in visual appearance and a serious tone. What's disappointing is that while most of the dances have all the trappings of a classical number (authentic costumes, jewelry, and settings), the choreography is not as authentic as one would expect. On some of the numbers I get so excited when they begin just by looking at them (especially the ones with the cotton practice-saris), but as the dance plays out I find myself let down. Costumes have a way of distracting us from the choreography, don't they!