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FACE
TO WATCH: Shobhana
There are many clichés
that could describe Shobhana. But with her looks and talent, she defies
them all. She’s been a bharatnatyam dancer from the age of three.
The niece of the celebrated actor-dancer sisters, Padmini, Ragini and
Lalitha, Shobhana made her debut in the Malayalam film, April 18, when
she was 14. With her seemingly natural gift for acting, a National Award
was hers for the first time in 1994 for her Malayalam film, Manichitrathazhu.
The next National Award came her way with Mitr- My friend, directed by
Revathy, a close friend and debut director. It was also her first English
film and one where she played “her age”, as Shobhana observes.
The beautiful Lakshmi, a devoted mother and neglected wife, was made into
an engaging character with Shobhana’s sensitivity.
In her latest film, the Pamela Rooks-directed Dance like a Man, she plays
the protagonist, Ratna, a troubled bharatnatyam dancer who has to deal
with a fractured past. A synthesis of both her passions, dance and acting,
the movie is based on a play by Mahesh Dattani, and revolves around the
life of a middle-aged dancer couple and their daughter. “It’s
my best film to date,” Shobhana remarks.
But the dancer in Shobhana has her own dreams to weave. Her school of
bharatnatyam, Kalarpana, has finished a successful decade in Chennai and
she plans to branch out into other cities. Shobhana is also writing her
autobiography, but dismisses it airily saying — “I believe
that I am the only one who will enjoy reading what I write.”
Chinmayee Manjunath
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October 23, 2004
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