Prasanna considers M’wood actors good dancers. He is quite impressed with Dileep, Indrajith and Nivin Pauly
Kochi: They can make the most beautiful divas toe their line or make the most egoistical actor follow their instructions and get away with it. This breed of individuals sees nothing wrong in making a song and dance of any situation and what is more get paid for it! Welcome to the adrenalin pumping world of choreographers whose hit song and dance routine has the capability to change the fate of a film.
Prasanna Sujit, better known as Prasanna Master has been choreographing hit songs in Mollywood for the past several years and has made even Bollywood biggies like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Govinda dance to his tunes.
Hailing from a family of choreographers, like his uncle Raghu Master and aunts Brinda Master and Kala Master, Prasanna is the fifth generation from his family in this profession. Prasanna says, “In my house, whether there is breakfast or not, there would always be dance! In fact, while studying in school, I was an introvert and nobody knew I could dance. It was my senior who suggested my name when he had to pull out that made me get on stage, dance at short notice and get the first prize. That was when people realised I could dance.”
He began by assisting his uncle and aunts, and branched into his own with the Priyadarshan film Kakkakuyil where he choreographed the Alla Re Govinda song. He went on to choreograph many hit Malayalam numbers like Chingamasam in Meesha Madhavan which catapulted him into the big league.
“Until then the perception was that Dileep could not dance and I have choreographed so many songs with Dileep, including CID Moosa, Runway, Thilakkam and Mayamohini. God has been very kind to me, whatever song I have choreographed has become a trendsetter. In fact, most directors let me design the look of the song including the costumes and the background.”
Contrary to Bollywood and Kollywood where dance is an integral part of the film, Mollywood does not lay a premium on song and dance routines. “Times are changing; earlier few actors could dance but now, most of the young brigade are good dancers or at least are trying to be,” says Prasanna.
According to him Mohanlal, Vineeth, Nivin, Prithviraj and Indrajith are very good dancers. He says, “In fact, Indrajith is a very good dancer who has not received his due. Jayasurya has improved a lot and most actors have realised the importance of dance and are trying to learn the moves.” He has even made Mammootty, known for his average dance skills, dance in Pothen Vava!
While dance choreographers receive their due in Bollywood the same is not true in M-town. B’wood gives importance to technicians, but Prasanna says that majority of the Malayalam films do not even carry the choreographer’s names in the credits. He says, “Malayalam has restrictive budgets for films. The services of a choreographer are required but no credit is given. Until the song becomes a major hit the choreographer is relegated to the sidelines. With the advent of social media, the perceptions have changed and choreographers are beginning to get their due.”
About turning choreographers, Prasanna says, “Just because one knows to dance does not mean that one can automatically become a choreographer. One must have the intuition and talent to realise the body language of the actor and know what suits him. A choreographer should also be well versed with camera angles and know editing too. The final outcome of the dance happens on the editing table. A choreographer’s job is not to design steps for an actor but give them moves they are comfortable with.”
His stint as a judge on the dance reality show D for Dance has made him a household name. His upcoming projects include Laila O Laila as well as other Mollywood and Bollywood films too.
( Source : dc )
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