Kalaimamani Madhavapeddi Murthy, is a veteran Kuchipudi dancer who is all set to enthrall Chennaiites next month. He has performed several duets and participated in jugalbandi with celebrities like Hema Malini and Meenakshi Seshadri.
CHENNAI: He was only three when he realised he loved dancing. Kalaimamani Madhavapeddi Murthy, a veteran Kuchipudi dancer, has performed over 1,500 shows across the globe and also runs a dance institution called Siva Foundation in Chennai. Having trained under Guru Padma Bhushan Vempati Chinna Satyam, Murthy has been following his passion in the hope of getting more people interested in this dance form. CE caught up with him, to discuss Kuchipudi, how it differs from other classical dance forms and much more.
You are a trained Kuchipudi dancer. Did you also learn any other dance form?
Initially, I used to think that I must learn different art forms, but as time passed, I realised that this one birth is not enough for a human to master a particular art form itself. So I understood that there was no point in putting myself in different art forms and not mastering anything. And so I focused only on Kuchipudi.
How different is Kuchipudi from other classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, etc?
Each classical dance form is distinctively different. Even though the theme or song could be common, when it comes to expressing, it changes. Mudras, movements and gestures are choreographed with an innovative perspective to bring out the right meaning of the song. There are some common mudras across all styles of dance. When you compare Kuchipudi Natyam with Bharatanatyam — in the single hand gestures, Bharatanatyam has few more than Kuchipudi. In the latter, we follow Sage Bharata’s Natya Sashtra, while Bharatanatyam follows Abhinaya darpana. While the postures confine to geometrical lines in Bharatanatyam, we have grace in Kuchipudi postures. And as far as emotions are concerned, they are almost the same in all classical dance styles. Another distinctive feature seen exclusively in Kuchipudi is dancing on the brass plate which is part of a traditional item, Tarangam. This feature is seen in any other classical dance forms.
Could you recall your first stage performance and also your most special one?
The first time I performed on a stage was in February 1978 as part of a dance drama in Hyderabad. Every performance is special to me as I consider them as a penance. The deeper I am involved in my performance the higher will be the ecstasy especially when I have the audience or the rasikas to encourage the talent.
You have performed along with Hema Malini and Meenakshi Seshadri. Could you share with us details of the performance?
In 1991, I got the opportunity to dance for Hema Malini’s TV serial Nupur. After the success of that serial , I got another opportunity to start performing as a male lead in her ballet, Durga as Lord Shiva. And till date, I have been performing in many of her ballets and have been portraying major roles like Vishnu, Satyavan, Ravana, Bhojraj etc. She can portray any mythological character with ease — be it Sati, Parvathi, Durga, Sita, Savitri, Draupadi, Mahalakshmi or Radha.
Meenakshi Seshadri is another dedicated dancer. She has learnt many items from me. We both have performed Kuchipudi duets and jugalbandi where she does Odissi and I have done Kuchipudi, in major festivals all over India and many countries abroad. We share a good body chemistry during our performances.
How popular is Kuchipudi today? Is it getting the kind of appreciation it should be getting?
Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh has its place of prominence and respect, but not much in other states. In our country, people are unaware about a lot of art forms. Dancers don’t get anything much for all the hard work they put in. We are solely dependent on performances and private organiser’s invites for events. It is a very sad scenario.
You also run a dance school. So how do you think today’s generation is responding to this dance form?
Present generation is in a competitive field. Back in the day, we had to go to the dance class six days a week . Basic fundamentals and jatis were taught for at least three years before we started learning our first invocatory item. If the foundation is weak then the building will be weak. However, the present generation has very little time to look at this angle. Academics taking priority, these art forms are taken only as recreation.