‘The Thinking Body,’ produced by the Films Division of the Government of India, directed and edited by Mumbai-based Kadambari Shivaya, was screened recently at Kalakshetra.
The film serves a seemingly dual purpose. First, it is intended to remind the members of the viewers that Indian classical dance forms provide a perfect vehicle for interactions of varied emotions and rasas in harmony, irrespective of time, space and gender. Secondly, it serves as a form of entertainment to art lovers who want to sit back and listen to a number of select artists speak their mind on gender and dance.
The film begins with the signature green palm of Navtej Johar that is symbolic of the union of nature and dance. A mammoth assimilation of art and artists, it is rich with a host of narratives and dance sequences of eminent persons including C.V. Chandrasekhar, the Dhananjayans, Bharati Shivaji, Birju Maharaj, Vijay Sekhar, Jolly Mathew, Hari Saikia and Anwesha Mahanta. Interestingly, there is also Van Tao Thoma and Krishna Kumar, who have picked Mohiniyattom, which otherwise is a dance performed primarily by women and a quick look at Gotipua of Orissa (performed only by young boys in Orissa) by Satyapira Palai troupe. It gives viewers bite size glances of Indian culture and tradition and does not forget to include clippings of Kelucharan Mohapatra, Vedantam Satyanarayana and Sonal Mansingh. The film uses the essential tools of ashtanayika and panchabhuta and has a natural flow of thought. It throws light on the inherent masculine and feminine qualities in human beings and bringing forth any of the quality is a matter of choice and emphasis.
According to the director, “Dance is the state of being that transcends one's physical self, delving into deep states of resonating minds in a spectrum of timelessness, of time-past, time-present and time-future. And gender is an important issue in the field of dance.
It is captivating to hear transgenders, Lakshya Pillai, Ponni and K. Ponnraj, sharing how dance has given them an identity and it is through dance that they are able to freely express their feminine emotions. Kadambari, who is also an Odissi dancer and has been the disciple of Kelucharan Mohapatra and Ramoni Ranjan Jena, appears with Ramli Ibrahim portraying sambhoga sringara. The scene can be described as sensual and articulate. If there is one scene that could be called as a take-away moment it would be the sequence of Kala Krishna. As Kala dressed in the character of Satyabhama, Kuchipudi style, retreats, in seamless continuity Kala the man emerges. From camera to direction, this could be called the crux and climax of the film. The end is well conceived bringing back Navtej Johar within an ambit of silence.
The locations used in the film are mostly the temple and surrounding regions of Kumbakonam and Thanjavur and meet the purpose of providing a backdrop. The repeated image of swans seems monotonous but according to Kadambari, who is trained in film academy at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers, U.S., it depicts the Vedanta concept that considers the swan as a symbol of spiritualism and purity.
The film underlines how male dancers are triggered by their feminine qualities but does not lay equal stress on women playing male roles. What defines an artist - gender, artistry or sexuality - remains a question.
Shaji N Karun’s cinematography and Resul Pookutty’s sound design give edge to the film, which reflects the research that has gone into it thanks to the film makers’ love for dance. However, some sequences were too long and and one felt perhaps tight editing would make the entire reel crisp.
