Sringaram – Dance of Love.

Its been ages since I've seen a good Tamil Movie...
Sringaram made my wait worth it! :)

Sringaram – Dance of Love.

Sringaram, a riot of emotions, dance, music, and costumes so earthy in portrayal, its cinema rediscovered in a trance. I was one of the few lucky people who witnessed this cinematic masterpiece at The Indo-German film Festival, yesterday, and I'm still recovering.

The film is a compelling narrative that exemplifies the essence of womanhood, and feminism. Set in the awakening of the Freedom Struggle, in rural Tamilnadu, the film portrays the life of Madhura (Aditi Rao Hydari), a Devadasi as she struggles with the conflicting passions for her art and the heritage and tradition she now represents as the temple's principal dancer. The narrative includes space for the lives of many other women, Kamavalli (Hamsa Moily), Ponnammal (Manju Bhargavi), The Mirasu's Wife (Aishwarya) and Ambujam (Lakshmi Ravi), who perfectly represent women in the different roles they played in Tamil Society at that time. The films oscillates from being a strong feminine narrative expressed through dance to a period film so well-researched, that Mahadevapuram, comes to life in those well-spent 117 minutes.

Filled with brilliant dance pieces that have an unignorable Devadasinatyam / Sadira style of choreography by Saroj Khan and music by Padma Bhushan Lalgudi G Jayaraman, featuring several classical renditions by Bombay Jayashree, the film rises beyond the spectacular, and leaves you pining for more.

It's no surprise that this movie is the firsts for several people including Padma Bhushan Lalgudi G Jayaraman, Saroj Khan in Tamil, and Sharada Ramanathan, as a director. Aditi Rao Hydari and Hamsa Moily also make their first appearances in this film.

So, if you're in the mood for a two hour journey filled with dance, music, and art, as has never been portrayed before, watch the film when it hopefully releases in Jan-Feb 2007, and indulge in this gentle exploration of love, dance and music in all its possible hues.