HYDERABAD: If there’s one theme that seems central to Rukmini Vijayakumar’s life right now, it has got to be balanced. Her latest dance short movie is called Nadi: The balance of elements. The film speaks about Ayurveda and how it helps bring balance in one’s life. Though not a stringent follower of Ayurveda, it does play an important role in Rukmini’s life.
“I cannot say I follow yoga but not Ayurveda. In India the philosophies are interconnected at the end of the day. I have grown up with Ayurvedic medicines like churnams, turmeric and tulsi,” says Rukmini, adding she prefers letting her body heal by itself instead of relying on medicines. “If I get a cut, I first apply turmeric.” It’s nothing less than a treat to watch Rukmini, an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer, on stage. “I enjoy telling stories through movement.
I feel I can articulate better with dance,” says the artistic director of Raadha Kalpa Dance Company, who is also the director of Lshva, a creative space for artistes. But her artistic prowess doesn’t end there — Rukmini also experimenets with Indian contemporary dance. Both forms, however, have challenges but that’s what helps her grow.
“I think everything is hard. Nothing can be accomplished without planning or putting in work. Imagine what will life would be without challenges,” says Rukmini, whose latest performance is called Ishwara. The shows to be staged on Jan 8 and 9 in Bangalore will also be online soon. The role dance plays in her life is known to many but Rukmini gives most credit to her mother, Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar, to keep her going in this field.
“There was a time when I didn’t want to go for classes or go outside to play like my brother. But my mother persuaded me to continue and stay in this form, which I am grateful for,” says Rukmini, adding that she is thankful her parents gave her the choice to take up dance as a career. Although she started her training in dance quite young, she was never sure she wanted to take dance as a career. After she took a year off after her high school she got the clarity she needed. Apart from her training in Bharatanatyam, she also holds a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the Boston Conservatory in Ballet and Modern Dance.
Besides studying acting at the New York Film Academy, she has also learnt acting under actor-director Prakash Belawadi. Rukmini has been a part of movies like Bajarangi starring Shiv Rajkumar and Kochadaiyaan starring Rajinikanth. She is soon going to be seen in the upcoming Kannada movie Dasara, directed by Arvind Sastry, starring Sathish Ninasam and Sharmiela Mandre.