‘Natyam’ has its heart in the right place but partly falters with the catchy narrative
A film that revolves around classical dance, produced by and starring a Kuchipudi dancer, attempts to draw a parallel between a contemporary story and a fictional story that predates independent India. Such a premise is unusual in contemporary Telugu cinema. Debutant director Revanth Korukonda and dancer Sandhya Raju deserve appreciation for entering a field that not many would dare. Sandhya leads from the front along with several actor-dancers in this film, which starts off well but loses steam in the middle.
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The story unfolds in a fictional dance village called Natyam, which serves as a hat tip to the Kuchipudi village of Andhra Pradesh as well as dance-focused schools like Kalakshetra which are mini universes unto themselves. Sitara (Sandhya Raju) grows up learning dance and is eager to prove herself worthy. color pravesam In the presence of his Guru (Aditya Menon). She believes that she has been chosen to tell the story of Kadambari, which was shared with her by her mentor when she was a little girl. But she knows that its presentation itself can challenge superstitions and therefore invites trouble.
Natyam
- Cast: Sandhya Raju, Kamal Kamaraju
- Direction: Revanth Korukonda
- Music: Shravan Bharadwaj
Prima facie the story seems simple and straightforward. Politics, drama and points of conflict come to the fore gradually. The story of the dance village and its events is sometimes over-explained, but this aspect has been overlooked for some time due to the skillful choreography of the Soundarya Mandir village (filmed in Lepakshi and Hampi among other locations) and the opening ‘Nama’. is possible to do. Shivaya dance number. The moves coordinated by Sitara and Hari Babu (Kamal Kamaraju as Guru’s son) to music by Shravan Bhardwaj set the stage for a narrative centered on dance.
The outsider versus the purist conflict erupts with the entry of Rohit (Rohit Behl), an urban-bred Western dancer, who comes to the village in search of a concept he can use for an international dance competition. Much time is devoted to uncovering Sitara’s disdain for Rohit, along with her naivete for not noticing Hari Babu’s true nature. A few goons with political power are also thrown into the landscape, and stand like sore thumbs in an aesthetic setting.
The plot has enough scope to explore the politics in this dance village, as an unlikely romance develops. But writing is never enough to explore it all thoroughly.
A dreamy Radha-Krishna dance sequence with substantial visual effects changes Sitara’s life forever and the play shifts to Hyderabad. Subsequently, the film loses steam. Sitara’s world outside her village opens on expected lines, but the budding romance between her and Rohit is barely traced. The reduction on this front is more apparent as the star surrounds herself during the final dance ballet. Had the romance been written better and the performances in these parts had been better, the high-pitched climax would have had the necessary impact.
Sandhya’s skill in Kuchipudi is an obvious asset to the film; She doesn’t even let her facial expressions dominate her. In the opening song, Kamal matches Sandhya’s dancing skills like a professional, which is no minor feat. Mumbai-based dancer Rohit feels like a wild card entry in this film. Where he scores with his easygoing presence, he has a long way to go as an actor. Aditya Menon and Subhlekha Sudhakar are barely enough for their part.
Bhanupriya gets screen time in the blink of an eye. Given that she was known for her dancing skills, perhaps there was a better way to introduce her? Dancer Rukmini Vijaykumar appears in a cameo.
Natyam An interesting and daring effort, but it needs a better script to make it a compelling drama than it could have been.
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