Ruper Atit Rup, recently staged by Bhowanipur Baikali Association at Rabindra Sadan, was an adaptation of Chitrangada in which the dance drama merged with the lyrical play it had first appeared as. Probing into the leitmotif of gender discrimination and the essence of feminine beauty, it explored the tension between outward charm and the authentic self, echoing Rabindranath Tagore’s questions on what constitutes true beauty. Through this lens, the theme unfolded as a journey beyond superficial allure, arriving at the core of womanhood, expanding beauty beyond ornamentation to embrace the qualities of power, dignity, individuality, self-respect and agency. The protagonist eventually emerged as a warrior princess, a leader and a real woman and not a picture of loveliness.
The production, splendid in its presentation, was rooted in a profound interpretation of Tagore’s text. Under Pramita Mullick’s intuitive direction, the interplay of song and recitation unfolded not as mere performance but as an intimate and absorbing reading of the work. Purbita Mukhopadhyay’s portrayal of the eponymous protagonist was apt, her choreography weaving together the multiple traditions of Manipuri, Thang-ta, Kathak, and contemporary dance to craft a distinctive movement vocabulary. The musical dimension was elevated by Durba Singha Roychowdhury, Priyangi Lahiri, and Prakriti Mukherjee, whose rendition of Chitrangada’s songs was flawless in both technique and expression. In contrast, Rintu Das’s overly energetic characterisation of Arjun occasionally tipped towards the jaded.
At the Suvarna Festival 2025 at the Abanindranath Tagore Gallery of ICCR recently, the Bharatanatyam exponent, Sayani Chakraborty, presented Ghanashyam choreographed by herself. Conceiving the dark, rain-bearing clouds of monsoon as a metaphor for Krishna, the work delved into the spirit of Bhakti with subtlety. Chakraborty’s supple movements, impeccable technique and springy athleticism lent the performance a striking visual resonance. Her energy was infectious and her execution fluid, yet her expressions bore a strong imprint of her guru, Rama Vidyanathan. While this lineage is admirable, she would do well to move beyond the shadow of her teacher to cultivate a dance vocabulary that is distinctly her own.