Taking a sharp detour from the recent light hearted comedies Arangetram and Filter Coffee from the production house.
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Slow Rivers is an upcoming short film from the production house of Bharatanatyam Danseuse Savitha Sastry, and her partner AK Srikanth - who is also the Writer and Director of the film. This film, an English short, is the tenth from their production company - the company that has made acclaimed award-winning films such as Descent, Beyond the Rains, Dvija and TheColors Trilogy. Savitha Sastry and thespian Ashish Vidyarthi play the lead in the film.
Taking a sharp detour from the recent light hearted comedies Arangetram and Filter Coffee from the production house, this film is a mind-bending spiral that examines the complex relationship between an Artiste and her Guru. The film is set to be released on Savitha’s YouTube channel on July 8. We speak with the dancer to understand more about the production.
1. Slow Rivers is your tenth production. How has the journey been from performing on the stage to performing in dance films?
The two are completely different in their dynamics. On stage, no two performances are the same – and there is a synergy that is born between the dancer, the accompanying musicians and the audience. Films on the other hand require an extremely high level of perfection t- once filmed it stays on forever! I have enjoyed both parts of my journey. However, given that my aim is to evangelise the art form to the uninitiated, I think the reach of a film is incomparable.
2. Please tell us a bit about Slow Rivers and what drew you to explore the theme of 'guru-shishya'.
Slow Rivers is based on a script by AK Srikanth (also the Director of the film). I think the theme of a Guru and a Sishya is what we see on the surface – at its deepest level the story is about the eternal search that humans have for immortality. I found the script fascinating at every level – in its scope, its philosophy and the intensity of its denouement. That story is one that any dancer would want to perform to.
3. What challenges have you encountered during the creative process of developing Slow Rivers and how did you overcome those?
The vision that Srikanth had for this film was grand at every level – so the process of recreating this to celluloid was filled with challenges at every level. The multitude of locations, the intricacy of the choreography, and the flow of the storyline which constantly shifts between the real, the metaphysical and the delusional – all of these were very different in scope to any project we have attempted in the past. Solving for them meant long discussions with the Director and the production team, and brainstorming on every dialog and nuance of the film.
4. Out of all the ten films, which film did you find to be the most challenging as a dancer?
I think every film brings about its own unique challenges and it is difficult to pinpoint any one in that manner. If we are talking about the intricacy of the choreography, then it is probably Slow Rivers.
5. Please share the details about your future productions.
Given that we’ve just wrapped up a very demanding production, we would possibly need a bit of a breather to regroup. But there are several exciting stories on hand, ranging across genres – and we should be in a position to finalise the next one very shortly.
6. What is the message you would like to give to the aspiring classical dancers?
Behind the glory is hours and hours of practice. Do not look for shortcuts, and stick to your guns – that is the only assured route to success.
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