Different strokes

Last seen in Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance,she seems to have vanished from the scene. But a leg injury she had while practising for a forthcoming show at Intercontinental The Lalit on November 19,has brought her back to Mumbai. “I have been working hard on our new production,Kaalchakra. And I’ve not been offered any exciting films that will inspire me to take six months off from my work,” she explains.

But she instantly warns her decision to focus on her dance should not be mistaken for lack of ambition. “People often mistake a successful career with financial success. I want to excel in what I do but it’s okay if I don’t have a fancy car or a penthouse in Mumbai.”

Kaalchakra,earlier known as Kali,was to premiere in Mumbai in April 2009. “We didn’t get the funding for Kaalchakra,which is a fantastical show—a mix of dance and drama—since the cost of production is really high. So we will premiere it in London and the US in August 2010. Over a 90-day tour,we will have 70 shows of Kaalchakra,” she reveals.

In Mumbai later this month,however,the troupe will perform one of their most popular and controversial works,Sarpgati. “We were ahead of our time when our company conceived Sarpgati,nearly a decade ago. It draws upon the rituals,myth and symbolism associated with snake worship and raked up a controversy back then,” she laughs. “It was while practising for Sarpgati last week that I injured myself. My mom packed me off to Mumbai for a speedy recovery so I can be back in action by November 19.”

The 24-year-old who lives at the Academy premises located 14 km from Trivandrum in a serene,picturesque neighbourhood,confesses that she does at times miss being in the city. “It’s chiefly for the accessibility factor—the postal service suffers and we don’t get steady mobile connectivity or cable television. But then the noise and ruckus of city life makes me glad I don’t live here. After much persistence,I’ve finally managed to convince my parents to get us an internet connection,” she says. She describes their dance studio as “a huge stretch of greenery by the lake side. The troupe takes their meals together,seated on the soft blanket of dry leaves that have gathered over years to cover the ground”.

Sharvani explains that she never went to a regular school,“except in the sixth grade which I hated”. Both she and her 18-year-old brother Tao,hence,were educated at home through correspondence.

Tao,however,has taken after her father Devissaro,a musician and the director of all their shows. “Tao,who will debut as a percussionist with Kaalchakra,thinks I have a horrible taste in music,” she grins,“He enjoys fusion and other ‘intellectual’ music while I stick to pop,hip-hop and classic rock. I’m a regular 20-something girl after all.”