KOCHI: Dance is etched deep in her soul that even a thriving career as an actor couldn’t diminish her passion. Dancer-turned-actor Niranjana Anoop is all set to rediscover her creative self with ‘Govinda Madhava’, a dance drama she has choreographed and directed.
Here, Niranjana embodies Krishna who she calls her ‘shakthi’. “To be precise, in Mahabharata, the sequence on ‘palace of illusion’ has Draupadi in a helpless and confused state. Krishna sorts it out for her. He calms her. ‘Govinda Madhava’ is about that Krishna, the power who can help troubled minds,” says Niranjana.
Niranjana, who was last seen in Asif Ali-starrer BTech, finds time to talk about her ambitious project to Express.Her muse
Quite a few dance dramas have had Krishna as its core, but Niranjana’s wasn’t an intentional choice, she says. In fact, her initial idea was to play Devi. “I did not have Krishna in mind, but a particular form of Devi. But then, for my age, I didn’t think I could live up to that,” she says.
Then, she slowly started drifting to Krishna. “Everyone has times when they are low and depressed. My way of dealing with it was to read spiritual books, then I had special people who would guide and advise me. The power imbibed from these words manifested in me as Krishna. For me, that energy is Krishna,” says Niranjana.
Growing with dance
‘Govinda Madhava’ is her directorial debut, but Niranjana Anoop has always been into choreography. “Ever since my days in The Choice School, I used to perform and choreograph for school programmes. Then, I started pitching in elements into Amma’s (dancer Narayani Anoop) choreography. The part I enjoy the most is choreographing the beats. It’s always the rhythm that gets my feet moving. Of course, I enjoy choreographing the ‘sahithya’ parts as well. But, stepping into the big world of art is itself dazzling. I believe I’m still naive when it comes to all these,” says Niranjana.
Though she has been following a classical style, ‘Govinda Madhava’ is a departure from it. “It isn’t pure classical. It’s something that everyone can understand. But, of course, there are classical pieces throughout,” says Niranjana.
Artistic associations
‘Govinda Madhava’ will see actors Anoop Menon, Manju Warrier, Ranji Panicker and Saiju Kurup giving voiceovers. “They are all celebrated personalities and have seen me since I was a child. So, when I shared my idea and concept for the dance drama and how I need their voices for the characters, they were happy to do it. I can only think with gratitude how actor Dinesh Prabhakar helped me come up with the poster. Not just them, many people in the industry like Aju Varghese and Aparna Balamurali supported me in this,” says Niranjana.
But for Niranjana, no endeavour would be complete without her mentor, teacher and uncle director Ranjith. “He came up with funds and gave me options to choose from. He is my pillar,” adds Niranjana. ‘Govinda Madhava’ will be held at JT Pac on November 11 at 7 pm.