Kamal Kamaraju steps up for ‘Natyam’
The Hindu
Actor and architect Kamal Kamaraju on what it took to portray a Kuchipudi dancer in the Telugu film ‘Natyam’
When the first stills of Telugu film Natyam emerged, the surprise factor was the presence of actor-architect-painter Kamal Kamaraju as a Kuchipudi dancer. It was a case of casting against the grain. Rather than casting a trained classical dancer, director Revanth Korukonda was particular that he wanted a tall actor to portray the character of a dancer who appears formidable and masculine.
The film, produced by and starring Kuchipudi danseuse Sandhya Raju in the lead, is scheduled to release in theatres on October 22. Set in a fictional village called Natyam, the film explores dance as a means of storytelling and features Kamal as the son of a dance guru.
Kamal remembers when he was first approached for the role. He was filming for Maharshi in Dehradun and thought he had heard it wrong: “I suggested they go for a classical dancer, and offered to help train the dancer in acting. But Revanth was adamant he wanted me for the part.”
In 2011, the Karnataka government announced that five botanical gardens will be developed on the lines of the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru across the State. But according to the latest developments, there will only be four such gardens as the Horticulture Department is most likely to drop the project that was supposed to come up in Chikkaballapura district.