Every time Aiswarya Wariar choreographed something new for her stage performances, she was conscious of its transience. And each time she performed the expressions, the ambience, the response were all different. Now how does a dancer capture these transient moods, moments and immortalise them?
It was this question that led Aiswarya to fuse the inherent strength of her dance, Mohiniyattam, and the immense possibilities of cinema to create what she says is ‘a first-of-its-kind dance film.’ Through V Madhavan Nair’s (Mali) unpublished poem, Nilima , Aiswarya attempts to tame those moments, those lines of movements, that would otherwise have gone either unnoticed or lost after a performance.
Recreating stories
“I have realised that though a dancer does recreate a story through her dance on stage there’s still so much left unsaid. The visuals, the power of cinema, can help, I feel, strengthen the communication process,” says Aiswarya, who now teaches Mohiniyattam at her Nrityodaya School of Classical Dance, in Vadodara.
Mali’s works like Karnasapatham have found its way on stage. Aiswarya stumbled upon his unpublished poem, which impressed her. “It was first choreographed and performed on stage a couple of times. When I was dancing I could visualise each moment. That’s when I thought of going further and I knew it had that dimension.” Unlike a documentary or a dance-music album Nilima , says Aiswarya, has a definite storyline. “I created Nilima like any of my other choreographed pieces. But here I have tried to use the space in the script. But I have not compromised on the art in any way. You could say only the backdrop turns fluid through visuals, you can hear the sound of the anklets, bells, the vachika elements, abhinaya , nritya , all combine to make it an impactful experience. And a lasting one too.” The poem talks about the blue hue, of the sky, the ocean, the peacock. Aiswarya goes beyond the blue exploring the expression through her dance. The 22-minute film has been mainly been shot in and around Cherai. Cinematographer Murali Krishna, who also co-directs the film provides stunning visual strength to Aiswarya’s dance.
