Chhau dance on a wider canvas

Jamshedpur, June 13: One of the state’s oldest tribal forms — Chhau dance — is the subject of a documentary by a young film-maker and a pass out of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Santosh Gaur.

Chhau Dance of Sadheikala, has been funded by the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry and will be ready for screening in a couple of months. Sadheikala, from which Seraikela derives its name, means “the land of 16 arts”.

Shot in the villages of Seraikela, the film features artists from families of traditional dancers.

“We have made it a point to see there has been no distortion in the costumes used or body movements, in the name of innovation, as other film-makers sometimes do,” he remarked.

The shooting is complete and the editing and dubbing will begin in Mumbai.

Gaur, who was in the city, informed that the 45-minute documentary film has been made with financial help from the Union ministry for the promotion and preservation of this ancient dance form. Gaur also has to his credit a number of other documentary films including Struggle for Identity, which depicts the rich traditions of Jharkhand.

It was the elegance of the form and its deep links with the forces of nature that drew Gaur to Chhau. “It is one of the rare tribal dance forms which depicts every aspect of human life from birth to death. It also narrates folk lore. This is the reason for its popularity among the tribals,” he said.

“The ministry decided to make a film on Chhau so that the dance form gains popularity among art lovers across the country,” said Gaur.

The film would also be dubbed in other regional languages to reach a wider audience, he added.