Journalism of Courage
‘Krishna’,a multi-media ballet show explores Krishna as God and man
In 2009,the rendition of Ramayana in ‘Maya Ravan’,a performance by danseuse and award-winning actress Shobana and her troupe,was a feast for the eyes of the audience. The stage was brought to life with dancers whirling,bounding and soaring across the stage in the dazzling lights. Now,Shobana is returning with a new drama ballet titled ‘Krishna’ this September.
Conceptualised and choreographed by Shobana,the ballet sees her essaying the role of Krishna. Just like in ‘Maya Ravan’,this production features voiceovers by actors such as Shabana Azmi,Konkona Sen Sharma,Nandita Das and Milind Soman. While Oscar award winner Resul Pookutty has done sound design,Rajeevan has designed the sets.
After meeting with great success and rave reviews at the first opening in Mumbai,the team was encouraged to bring the performance to Pune on September 6. The troupe will then travel to Hyderabad on September 8. The Krishna production is a collaboration between Shobana and Banyan Tree Events. The performance is scheduled 7.30 pm on September 6 at Yashwantrao Chavan Sabhugruha,Kothrud.
The performance will depict lesser known scenes from Krishna’s life such as the demons who try to assasinate him through his childhood; or the scenes where he dons the cap of a diplomat and tries to keep the Yadava clan together. One of the highlights in the production is the scene where little Krishna has to fight the demoness Pootna. Shobana’s daughter plays little Krishna in this scene. There are other scenes such as a poignant dialogue between Krishna and Gandhari and the spell-binding scene where Krishna shows his true form to Arjun on the battle fields of Kurukshetra.
A master in Bharatnatyam herself,Shobanas interpretations of mythological classics such as the Ramayana mix the orthodox and the unorthodox in both the storytelling and the dance choreography. She mixes classical steps with contemporary dance moves and prefers to surprise the audience with improvisations and innovations in the story as well. In ‘Maya Ravan’,for instance,there was a scene where Hanuman and his army were leaping to the beats of a rock and roll number. “The dance elements while certainly more modern,still have a classical restraint and formalism to them,” says Shobana.
