潜在之神 Bhavantarana

The first of a trilogy of ‘dance’ films (followed by The Bamboo Flute and the as-yet unreleased Priye Charushile), Bhavantarana expands on some of the modes Shahani had first explored in Khayal Gatha. The dance form is the famous Odissi, a form in Orissa that emerged from an earlier folk mode typically performed by young boys. The dancer is one of India’s leading figures, Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. The film begins with a traditional sculptor hewing a dancer’s image from a piece of stone that he holds down with his feet, expanding from there to links from dance to sculpture, and from folk to classical forms. While several dances come from Mahapatra’s traditional repertory, the finale – the spectacular Navarasa – is choreographed specially for the film.