Veteran actress and politician Hema Malini brings ballet to Mumbai

Veteran actress Hema Malini gets the legendary National Ballet of Georgia, Sukhishvili, to perform in India after 50 years

Hema Malini with Nino Sukhishvili (right) , general director of the dance institute Sukhishvili, and Iliya Sukhishvili, the artistic director and choreographer of the ballet company

Legendary actress and bharatnatyam dancer Hema Malini is full of energy when we talk to her on the phone from Delhi. It's this energy that has expanded her repertoire to include singing, she just released an ode to Lord Krishna, and now being a cultural ambassador of sorts, she brings the National Ballet of Georgia to India. The dance institute Sukhishvili, the institute from Georgia (which was a part of the erstwhile USSR), last came to India 50 years ago, brought down by the then-Russian hero, actor Raj Kapoor.

"Like Raj Kapoor ji, I have many fans in Georgia. They love my film Sita aur Gita, and when Georgians come to India, they want to meet me!" It was this love that led to Malini being called to Georgia for a women's conference, and that's when she saw the dancers of the institute perform. "I have been organising Jayasmriti in my mother's memory for so long now, to promote new artistes. This initiative, called Synergy,is like that. They are a lovely dance group that will astonish every one with their dance forms."

The group which usually performs with around 100 students is coming to India with only 30, but also with three orchestras that play live music as the dancers perform. "You know hip hop right? It's a lot like that, very energetic — they jump into the air, and tumble and come back and land nimbly on their knees and toes. It's magnificent to watch."

The show, which will be one hour and 45 minutes long, will also have Malini's students performing. There will be Bharatnatyam and Kathak, as the dancer actress wants it to be a complete fusion experience for the audience. "So, along with the orchestra, which is made up of different instruments from Georgia, there will be an Indian representation as well. I think Mumbaikars are going to enjoy this one." We think so too.

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