Dance like a boy
The Hindu
Traditionally performed by young men, Gotipua, the precursorof Odissi, is being modernised and gentrified, losing the raw energy that is its essence
They are known as Gotipuas (‘goti’ means single and ‘pua’ is boy in Odia), but they have to dance dressed as girls and in groups. Born out of the tradition of devotion, the struggle for survival over the years has reduced them to mere entertainers. A precursor of Odissi, Gotipua is now facing the biggest threat from Odissi itself. “There was a time when Odissi followed the Gotipua dance style. Now it is the other way round — Gotipuas follow Odissi,” said Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and well-known Gotipua guru Birabar Sahoo in an interview to this writer a few years ago. . Ironically, on a recent trip to village Dimirisena, located about 35 km from Puri and known as the cradle of the 400-year-old Gotipua tradition, I attended a dance festival that featured mostly Odissi dancers.
Actor Gibin Gopinath reflects on his successful 2025 and craving meaningful roles in Malayalam cinema
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan discusses his journey, the importance of empathy, and his Oscar-shortlisted film "Homebound."
In a few days, there would be a burst of greetings. They would resonate with different wavelengths of emotion and effort. Simple and insincere. Simple but sincere. Complex yet insincere. Complex and sincere. That last category would encompass physical greeting cards that come at some price to the sender, the cost more hidden than revealed. These are customised and handcrafted cards; if the reader fancies sending them when 2026 dawns, they might want to pick the brains of these two residents of Chennai, one a corporate professional and the other yet to outgrow the school uniform
Jaideep Ahlawat has replaced Akshaye Khanna in Drishyam 3 after the actor refused to be "part of the film via a text message"
Medai The Stage brings Margazhi to Coimbatore
‘Pharma’ series review: Despite strong performances and solid premise, the narrative misses the mark
Pharma offers strong performances but falters in storytelling, making it a passable watch despite its intriguing premise.
Discover the creativity of individuals on the autism spectrum with Autism Club Ernakulam’s inspiring 2026 desktop calendar.
Screened at the IFFK 2025 recently under the Indian Cinema Now section, ‘Alaav’ is a still cinéma-vérité portrait of an ageing Indian artist caring for his real-life mother
The Kochi Biennale is evolving, better, I love it. There have been problems in the past but they it seems to have been ironed out. For me, the atmosphere, the fact of getting younger artists doing work, showing them, getting the involvement of the local people… it is the biggest asset, the People’s Biennale part of it. This Biennale has a great atmosphere and It is a feeling of having succeeded, everybody is feeling a sense of achievement… so that’s it is quite good!
How two stories named for a nightmare peel back polite veneers to expose a rot of moralities and the base human instinct to reach for tenderness anyway — here’s why ‘Monster’ (anime) and ‘Monster’ (film) belong on your watchlist
Indian cinema in 2025 reflected societal complexities, broke genre conventions, and sparked controversies as audiences engage in a two-way dialogue
Pluribus series review: Rhea Seehorn shines as a fantasy writer who might be the only person to save the world from unbridled niceness and is just one of many delights in this post-apocalyptic binge-fest
In Akhil Sathyan’s sophomore film ‘Sarvam Maya’, a sublime Nivin Pauly, with the help of Aju Varghese and Riya Shibu, propels a thin script