Classical Dance Traditions in Cinema Compromised

The controversy surrounding Ananya Panday’s brief Bharatanatyam-inspired performance in Chand Mera Dil has reignited a larger debate on whether Indian cinema is gradually diluting the purity of classical dance traditions. There was a time when accomplished performers such as Vyjayanthimala, the late Padmini, Waheeda Rehman and Asha Parekh ensured that classical forms like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathak retained their authenticity on screen.

Today, critics point to performances like Ananya Panday’s, which many viewers felt resembled a stylised or “spoof-like” interpretation of Bharatanatyam rather than the classical form itself. But she is hardly alone. In Govind Nihalani’s Thakshak (1999), Tabu performed an interpretative dance in the song Rang De, leaving even experts divided over which classical form it represented.

More recently, Vidya Balan’s hybrid Kathak-inspired moves in Bhool Bhulaiyaa escaped the level of scrutiny now directed at Ananya.

“But why blame the poor girl?” asks veteran actress and danseuse Vyjayanthimala. “She is only performing the choreography designed for the film.” Vyjayanthimala believes the dilution of classical purity in cinema began decades ago.

“I was fortunate to work in films where I could dance without compromising my artistry. In Amrapali, the entire narrative revolved around dance. Waheedaji had Guide, where she could perform without compromising on quality. Meena Kumari’s Kathak in Pakeezah and Rekha’s mujras in Umrao Jaan remain benchmarks. But honestly, how many such films were made even then?,” Vyjayanthimala said.

Recalling an uncomfortable experience from her own career, she adds, “In Raj Kapoor’s Sangam, I had to perform to the song Buddha Mil Gaya, which made me uncomfortable. I promised myself — never again.”

Hema Malini, one of Vyjaya-nthimala’s most devoted admirers and herself a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, feels compromise in commercial cinema is almost inevitable.

“Like Vyjayanthi, I too was trained in Bharatanatyam,” Hema says. “When I initially had to perform filmi dances, I felt uncomfortable. Then I realised dancing in films and performing classical dance for connoisseurs are two separate disciplines, and I consciously kept them separate.”

She recalls how audiences abroad often demanded her popular film numbers during classical dance tours. “I refused. If they insisted, I would simply walk off the stage,” she says.

Veteran actress Asha Parekh, trained in Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi, feels the space for classical dance in mainstream cinema has steadily diminished. “Why blame anyone?” she asks. “Look at today’s cinema. Where is the scope for classical dance? The only filmmaker consistently nurturing that heritage is Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In Devdas, he brought in the legendary Birju Maharaj to choreograph Madhuri Dixit. Even Heeramandi featured stunning dance sequences.”

“I’ve told Sanjay Bhansali many times,” she laughs, “I wish I were forty years younger so I could dance in his films.”

Madhuri Dixit, often regarded as the last of Hindi cinema’s great dancing divas, also longs for a film centred around dance. “I wish I could do a memorable dance film like Waheedaji’s Guide or Meenaji’s Pakeezah. Where are those films today?” she asks.