Trying his hand at documentaries, cinematographer Praveen K. Bangari of ‘Prema Oka Maikam’ fame is busy shooting Kuchipudi village for his maiden documentary on the dance form.
“It is a pity that archives on maestros are not available. It drove me to make a documentary on the dance village,” Mr. Praveen said.
Interviews with artistesHis project also involves interviews with some personalities from the village. “My documentary will speak about the history of Kuchipudi and the way women were encouraged to practise the dance form, apart from highlighting the stages of its evolution,” he added.
Incidentally, Mr. Praveen is an alumni of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata, an academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. “I began research and documentary making simultaneously, as the topic demands a deeper understanding of the dance form and lives of the artistes. Renowned Kuchipudi dancers and villagers are great sources to come out with a detailed documentary on the tiny village,” he said.
According to him, taking up a project that is connected to the classical dance fraternity is a difficult task, but the support from some dancers hopefully helps one complete it in the stipulated time, not less than six months from now. “Once the study on my project is over, I will come back to the village to decide the final script,” Mr. Praveen said.
