HYDERABAD: Manju Bhargavi, renowned for her impeccable work ethic and boundless creativity, is a distinguished personality in the field of Kuchipudi. Her remarkable dedication and grounded nature have made her a celebrated figure, especially known for her roles in movies like “Shankarabharanam.” She hosted a 15-day Kuchipudi workshop in Hyderabad, further sharing her expertise and passion for the art. Since the age of five, Manju Bhargavi has been inseparable from Kuchipudi. Her lifelong passion and dedication are evident in her performances and her character. In an conversation with CE, she shared insights into her life and artistic journey.
Journey as an artist
“It’s a whole long story. To make it short, I used to be crazy about dance, I used to be after my mother who put me in dance class. Then she got some teachers. I was five years old. It was a temporary thing. Then I joined under the tutelage of Vempati Chinna Satyam Garu. And I was there for 43 years. And that’s it. That’s where the journey started,” recalls Manju Bhargavi.
Passion for dance and career in movies
“I never left dance. Actually speaking, I was never interested in films. Never. It was my mother who pushed me into films because she wanted to be an actress. I don’t go after this stupidness, limelight. I had to do films because my father had passed away. And I was 17 years old. I had to start acting in films. I did it very reluctantly though. I did reluctantly till a movie like Shankarabharanam. I said, ‘Thank God. Thank you so much.’ Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been there. That’s one moment. It was like every shot was a do or die. K Viswanath garu was such a taskmaster. With the minutest of details. It’s because of my training in Kuchipudi that I was able to do the expression that he wanted me to do. So that’s what helped me in this movie. Sometimes I ask myself, ‘How did I do it? It is so minute’,” she shares.
Further adding, “I can write a book on hurdles as well. The journey with the master, whether it’s performance, whether it’s travel, whether it’s practice has taught me a lot. We used to travel by train. Sometimes we never used to get berths returning back. So, we used to literally sleep on the floor. Sometimes we were pushed into the mail van because there was no accommodation available. So we used to sit on those mail sacks and travel. There were so many things.”
Driving force behind her success
“The central string is the dance. These are all sidestreams. My passion for dance keeps me going,” she shares.
On the transformation of Kuchipudi from generation to generation
“None of us are perfectionists. If somebody tries to point out our drawbacks, we try to analyse it and rectify it. But today that situation is not there. Everybody thinks they are the greatest. So, who will bell the cat? Everything has changed so much. But who has the time?” Manju Bhargavi sums up.