India is known world over for its rich culture and tradition, the west recognises us as the land of Gods. Our Indian mythology has thousands of Gods and millions of Saints and through the medium of dance we Indians portray their life stories. Such dance ballets have been happening in India for more than five decades. One person who is responsible for giving the ‘Godly Stories’ a glamour angle is our Bollywood dream girl, the graceful and elegant Hema Malini.
For more than 20 years now, she has been instrumental in bringing different mythological characters alive through her dance ballet. Be it Meera, Durga, Krishna Radha Raas, Dhraupadi, Shiva Parvathy, Hema Malini has done it all. Following her footsteps, actresses like poised Jaya Prada, charming Gracy Singh and the bubbly dow eyed beauty Sharbani Mukherjee, who danced their way into our hearts with dance ballets like Amrapali and Radhika.
These Dance Ballets have everything possible, extravagant costumes, beautiful sets that make the stage look like heaven, hundreds of graceful dancers, the amazing blend of Indian classical dance form in a story format for non dancers to understand and the ever glamorous actresses who portray their characters so aptly. But one thread that joins all these memorable dance ballets together is their Choreographer…. Bhushan Lakandri.
He is one of the most creative person in the field of dance in our country who has been living a life outside the arc lights. Sitting by the side he has set up ballets that have become legend and he remains unaffected with all the applause his work is getting. So humble, so down to earth and so humorous in this approach towards people that even funny man Johnny lever could take a few lessons from him.
I had to ask Bhushanji a questions, two decades in this field, so many years of hard work, planning and executing mesmerising dance ballets, why no awards for him yet??? The answer he gave was something to remember just like his ballets. Bhushanji said ‘I need no awards to be recognised, my dance ballets being performed all over the world, its house full shows year after year, and the belief that only I can make gods come down from heaven and dance on stage are my awards’.
Today, he may not be having his photographs splashed all over the new papers, but yes, he is the man behind the success of Indian Gods turning glamorous to reach to the audience world over. Bhushanji is one contended man who does not feel the need of the limelight, for this true dance lover, creating dance moves, making the right expression, experimenting with lights and costumes is happiness.
Bhushan Lakandri is a person, who is so happy in his own skin, unaffected by the glamour around him, sharing his amazing thoughts and few words on creativity.
Sandip Soparrkar
