Kittappa Pillai’s star disciple Hema Malini recalls what made her one of the most sought-after gurus
Kittappa Pillai’s star disciple Hema Malini recalls what made her one of the most sought-after gurus
As tourists leave the Thanjavur palace complex in the evening, and an overlooked cuckoo pipe in the trees, cars carrying young travelers dressed in traditional Bharatanatyam attire drive to the Sangeeta Mahal.
They descend in a fragrant cloud, the rustle of their silk mixes with the tingle of salangaiAnd bow to your gurus before proceeding backstage.
The hall is getting ready for the 16th tribute program to Nattuvanar KP Kittappa Pillai (1913–1999), a descendant of the Thanjavur quartet (Chinnaiya, Ponnaiya, Sivanandam and Vadivelu) and an acknowledged master of codified grammar of Bharatanatyam.
Organized annually by Kittappa Natyalay, run by KPK Chandrasekaran, the virtuoso’s youngest son, the event showcases the talents of the students of the Thanjavur-based academy, and is attended by notable senior disciples of the guru.
salute to guru
Hema Malini felicitating a young dance student. Rajkumar Babaji Raja Bhonsle and Thiruvarur district collector Gayatri Krishnan are also seen. photo credit: M Srinath
This year’s guest of honor was actress and politician Hema Malini, 74, who was Kittappa’s student in the 1960s and ’70s. With her arrival, fake photo-hunters gather around, as some dance students run to touch her feet. But the ‘Dream Girl’ politely keeps them away, her demeanor acknowledging that the leading star of the evening is her late teacher.
“Guruji was a very sweet and friendly person, although at first I was afraid of him,” she says, sitting in a plastic chair in the back row. “He came into my life when I was 16, and had just started acting in Hindi films. I saw him performing nattuvangam for Vyjayanthimalaji at a dance show in Madras, and I was so impressed that I just wanted to learn from him. ,
After learning dance at the age of six and becoming an artist at the age of eight, Hema Malini’s interest in learning Bharatanatyam from one of her most meritorious teachers was driven by a desire to excel in the art form.
“My mentor from Delhi was Sikkal Ramaswamy Pillai. I also learned from Indira from Kalakshetra. Although there were other exponents in Madras, I was very eager to learn from the same guru who taught Vyjayanthimala. So my father held a meeting and Guruji started teaching me.
Hema Malini recalls her long association with Kittappa Pillai. photo credit: M Srinath
Recalling Kittappa’s orchestration skills, she says that her simplest jathis would look spectacular when performed on stage. “I learned beautiful and rare pieces like ‘Navasandhi’, ‘Suladi’, and many varnams. I may not remember some of them today, but I am sure that if I see Guruji, it will all come back to me. Will come, and I will start dancing,” she says with a smile.
Kittappa Pillai began training Hema Malini in Bharatanatyam, just as her career was taking off after her debut in the 1968 film The Sweetheart of Bollywood. dream dealer Unlike Raj Kapoor. “I was born in Ammankudi, near Tiruchi, and moved to Delhi when I was three months old. From there my family shifted to Madras, and then when I started acting in Hindi films, moved to Bombay. Guruji used to come to Bombay regularly to teach me.”
jugglery dance and movies
Their association lasted for a decade, when Hema Malini ruled the screen with several outings as the feisty heroine in films. johnny my name, Sita and Geeta And cinder,
She admits it was difficult to strike a balance between both films and dance practice. “I would get overwhelmed, because I would shoot for films till the afternoon, and then give a dance performance in the evening. But I kept learning from Guruji, so much so that when I didn’t have time to rehearse at home, I would take him along for outdoor shoots,” she says.
This was also the time when she was learning Kuchipudi from Vempati Chinna Satyam and Mohiniyattam from Natnam Gopalakrishnan.
“At one time, I used to do all three dance styles in one show, and all three gurus were on stage,” she recalls.
unique style
“Kittappa Pillai” solukattu The (vocal percussion) singing was so loud that the players of the mridangam struggled to keep pace,” says Hema Malini. “But it would still be the most comfortable rhythm for the artist. It was his special ability.”
And she was not above paying allowance for her affection for film star Dharmendra, who would eventually marry her. “While our romance was developing, Guruji was there, watching,” she says, blushing. “He never played the role of Cupid, but if I was asked to leave the dance practice a little early so that I could meet Dharamji, he would agree.” She further says that the macho hero and the dance master were close friends.
“I always saw him trying to talk with gestures, because Dharamji did not know Tamil, and Guruji had never learned Hindi,” she laughs.
Despite extensive training, Hema Malini never got to showcase much of her Bharatanatyam skills in films. “There are two different art forms of dance and classical stream in films. One is a mix of styles, the other is formal and has strict rules. Unlike Vyjayanthimala, I was unable to use my Bharatanatyam skills in songs, because over the years Movies had changed in the U.S.. By the time I got my big break, heroines had to play strong modern women,” she says.
As a classical dancer, she never agrees to do ‘film dance’ on stage. “I have opted for dance ballet that gives more scope to appeal to the public by combining stories from epics and mixing different styles of dance.”
Hema Malini tries to learn a Varnam online from Chandrasekaran during the lockdown. “It was easy to pick up, but to practice and see the end result, one has to dance in front of a guru. I am happy to see young dancers across India carrying on the legacy of Bharatnatyam gurus,” she says.
As the evening program begins, Hema Malini turns her attention to the performances, a sincere tribute to her revered guru.
at his feet
His son, representing the eighth generation of the family, and event organizer KPK Chandrasekaran, says the annual dance tribute to KP Kittappa Pillai is the best way to celebrate the Nattuvangam maestro’s legacy.
Born in the famous ‘Thanjavur Quartet’ clan in 1913, Kittappa Pillai was an accomplished singer, composer and of course, Nattuvanar.
“It may come as a surprise to hear that Appa is late in Bharatanatyam. Chandrasekaran says, after training under his maternal grandfather Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and then his father Ponniya Pillai, he was a vocal artist with his cousin Narayanasamy, who was the son of Pichai Nattuvanar.
When Narayanasamy passed away, Kittappa, who was in his 30s, was requested by Padmanabha Iyer to perform Nattuvangam for his daughter Padmalochini Nagarajan in Bengaluru. “She was Appa’s first disciple.”
Teaching Padmalochini meant shifting from Thanjavur to Bangalore, where Kittappa lived with his family in a heritage home gifted by Thulaji Bhonsle II. Chandrasekaran continues to live here.
“Appa’s maternal uncle Pandanallur Muttiah Pillai, his son Gopalakrishnan and my father rented a house at Shankarapuram in Bengaluru and studied at the students’ home. Appa spent 35 years in Bengaluru, and from here his circle of students grew to places like Chennai and Mumbai,” he says.
Kittappa’s students of Bharatanatyam have been around for generations, and come from all walks of life. “Apart from actors like Vyjayanthimala and Hema Malini, she has taught Sudharani Raghupati, dancer Nataraja and Malathi Dominic. Some used to come to learn only one Varnam. His expertise in vocal singing helped him develop music suited to the dance stage.” Kittappa popularized rare works like ‘Sarabhendra Bhupala Kuravanji’, ‘Navasanthi Kavuthuvam’, ‘Suladi’ and ‘Prabhandam’.” were teachers. Each lesson will vary according to the student’s ability. ,
Chandrasekaran, the youngest of the maestro’s eight children, works as a dance teacher at a government school in Tiruvarur, and has kept the legacy alive through Kittappa Natyalay in Thanjavur.
Kittappa’s granddaughter Charumathi, Jayashree and Subhashree are learning Bharatanatyam, while grandson Sabpati has taken mridangam and nattuvangam training. His great-grandson Kavish Dinesh is learning the violin. “We have to work to take this knowledge forward. Appa remained active till his last life. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 87,” says Chandrasekaran.