Mohiniyattam dancer and academician Methil Devika says: “Acting is acting. It depends on how much you need [of acting], which, in a movie, the director dictates. Adhering to the director’s instructions was a learning experience.” She is explaining how acting is a component of both dance, her chosen field, and cinema, a medium she is exploring. The film in question is director Vishnu Mohan’s Kadha Innuvare, which hit theatres today.
Methil Devika
Her feature debut is news because she has, so far, refused offers that came her way, some from big names. So it begs the question why she agreed to do this film? “I was busy with a lot of other work, when Vishnu Mohan presented the script. At the time I was working on a project for the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram. He waited for a year for me to get free,” says Devika over the phone.
Keeping it simple
At the outset, she clarifies that the role is a ‘simple’ one in the film, which is a story of people in love. For her, acting is not about making a mark as an actor; with almost three decades as a performer and creator behind her, there is nothing for her to prove as an artist. This film, and picking a relatively simple role, was about testing waters and also finding the answer to “Do I really fit in here?”
She avers that the kind of acting required for a film is different from what dance demands. “A major difference is the continuity while acting on a proscenium, a performance can go on for an hour-and-a-half, but with films, there is ‘cut’ after scenes.” Vishnu shared his take on what he wanted while giving her the space and freedom to bring out the character.
Methil Devika
The experience proved to be a learning curve — doing things for the first time, observing how things were done and, of course, practising. Practice is vital for a classical dancer who would have to revisit a particular character or performance during the course of their career, unlike films where once filming is done the actor does not have to revisit the role.
International recognition
Kadha Innuvare may be Devika’s first feature film, but she is not new to the medium. Many of her dance choreographies have been made into film, though not the feature film format. Some of her dance works have become films, too, such as her 2018 short film documentary, Sarpatatwam. Besides performing, she was also the choreographer, composer, co-director and co-producer; it was voted to the Academy Awards Contention List (2018).
Then there is the dance archival film Ahalya, directed/choreographed by her and filmed by veteran cinematographer Madhu Ambat and more recently, The Crossover, a short dance film produced and presented by her,where she integrated the Indian sign language with the hasta mudras (hand mudras) of Mohiniyattam.
Methil Devika in Crossover, that amalgamates Indian Sign Language with hastha mudras of Indian classical dance.
As a creator, Devika has pushed boundaries, constantly exploring new ways of expressing herself as an artist. TheCrossover, for instance, amalgamates Indian sign language with the hasta mudras (hand mudras) of Indian classical dance from scriptures on aesthetics and traditional dance practices. The movie role is another exploration of a form of artistic expression not too different from what she has done.
Single focus
The reason Devika took her time acting in a feature film was her focus was not cinema. “I did not want to veer my career in that direction.” She was focussed on establishing herself as a dancer and academician. It is sound reasoning because the acknowledgement most actor-dancer hyphenates get invariably pivots their career in films. Right now people with different careers and day jobs act in films, being an actor is not their sole identity. This welcome change in how artists are perceived appeals to Devika.
Though skillset-wise an established artist may be equipped to try a new medium, there are several variables — time, how comfortable they are in the medium, and trying to figure out their space. Although a veteran in her chosen field, when it comes to films, she says, she is taking baby steps. “It is with baby steps that I have come this far,” she says.
Devika acknowledges the support from her co-actors, such as Anusree, Nikhila Vimal, Anu Mohan and Hakkim Shah, who have been film actors longer in comparison to her. “Some of them have been acting for a decade. They know all the terminologies of cinema,” says Devika, who approached her role [as a film actor] with curiosity.
The movies have piqued and vetted her interest, she understands its potential in the context of dance. Four of her works have been documented in films, which she says, has enabled her to move onto creating other works. Apart from the archival and documentary role they play, they help viewers access a performer’s micro expressions.
Though her Kadha Innuvare character is not a dancer, she adds, she is open to dancer roles. “I have got offers in films with dancing scenes for me, because I am in it. But I want to do dance-based roles that are compelling enough. And if somebody can script a work on dance, it is me!” Devika laughs as she says this. It is not arrogance speaking, but the confidence of an artist who engages with her art in new ways.
Published - September 20, 2024 01:19 pm IST
