Navtej Johar, the renowned Bharatnatyam exponent and choreographer, presented Fana’a: Ranjha Revisited at Kalamandir on September 10 as a part of the International Festival of Alternative and Contemporary Expressions. The event was organized by Saphire Creations Dance Workshop under the able guidance of Sudarshan Chakravorty. Johar and Anil Panchal, the two male performers, fused the archetypal narratives from north and south India with effortless grace. Johar’s choreography — characterized by graceful movements, asanas, subtle expressions and a sense of divinity — was flawless. The presentation recounted the Sufi legend of Heer-Ranjha, and included elements of kutrala kuravanji, a genre of dance drama from Tamil Nadu.

The fluid narratives, characterizations and vocabulary impressed, and the fertile imagination and powerful execution helped Fana’a: Ranjha Revisited acquire a transcendental and a spiritual dimension. Madan Gopal Singh’s Sufi music also touched a chord. Govindrajan Elangovan (vocals), G. Raghuraman (flute), Preetam Ghosal (sarod), R. Kesavan (mridangam) and Gurmeet Singh (dhol) deserve mention. Milind Srivastav’s light design was subdued yet poetic.