Dancing with Nature
There is a gentle dignity, a subtle evocative quality about this dance. It is a unique mélange of traditional martial arts, folk motifs and tales of love and pain, gleaned from the pages of Hindu mythology. It is a reminder of our glittering past and a pointer to the subtlest resonances of our art.
The Seraikella Chhau is unique in many ways, not the least of which is the eschewing of vocal accompaniment and the complete covering of the face with the mask. Yes, the mask is the essence of this exhilarating dance; it is the magic of this art.
Dancing with Nature, a film by Malay Dasgupta, delves into the myriad associations of this mask. A tribute to the master mask-maker, Kanhaiyalal Maharana, this is an exploration of the meaning and structure of the mask that despite it being frozen comes to life as soon as the performer dances. His body magically seems to imbue the mask with a thousand expressions.
The royal family in Seraikella did make fundamental and aesthetic contributions to the evolution of this dance form besides, also, patronising it. The kings and princes participated in the dance which is an exquisite coalescing of martial forms and classical motifs; hugely influenced by nature, intricately drawn out exercises and folk elements.
Bucolic settings, patches of water, verdant greenery and an arresting dance set to the strains of the flute and the rustic shehnai contribute to a near inexplicable bittersweet feeling: overwhelming and subtly melancholic. All the while Kanhaiyalal, in the twilight of his life, is profoundly analytical; at the same time, a tad wistful.
One is deeply touched by the lament for that which was here, resplendent and mesmerising but which, perhaps, will never be the same again.
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Malay DasguptaDirector
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Malay DasguptaWriter
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Malay Dasgupta & Sudeshna DasguptaProducer
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Kanhaiyalal MaharanaKey Cast
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Barun De JoardarCamera
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Dipak MandalEditing
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Sk. Abdul Rajjak & Sanjit Pintu GhoshSound
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Meraki Technology & Film Stop EntertainmentPost Production
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Chitralekha GhoshExecutive Producer
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Weekend FilmsProduction
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Project Type:Documentary
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Genres:Folk Dance, Mask Dance, Tribal Culture, Ethno Music, Nature & Environment, Cultural Anthropology
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Runtime:23 minutes 14 seconds
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Completion Date:October 19, 2020
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Production Budget:10,000 USD
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Country of Origin:India
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Country of Filming:India
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Language:English, Hindi
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Shooting Format:Digital HD
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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26th Kolkata International Film Festival 2020Kolkata
India
January 12, 2021
Indian Premiere
Official Selection, National Competition for Documentaries -
5th Chalachitram National Film Festival 2021Guwahati
India
August 12, 2021
Official Selection -
4th South Asian Short Film Festival 2021Kolkata
India
November 17, 2021
Officicial Selection - Competition Documentary -
Nature & Culture - Poetry Film Festival 2021Copenhagen
Denmark
November 21, 2021
Danish Premiere -
6th Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival 2021Frankfurt
Germany
November 4, 2021
German Premiere
Official Selection - Medium Length Documentary Competition -
7th Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival, Boston 2021Boston
United States
October 20, 2021
US Premiere
Official Selection - Competitive Category -
2nd Sabira Cole Film Festival, Pittsburgh 2021Pittsburgh
United States
November 11, 2021
Sabira Cole Award Nomination -
7th Bengal International Short Film Festival, 2022Kolkata
India
May 18, 2022
Official Selection - Documentary Competition
Distribution Information
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Weekend Films, Flat # F2, Regent Grove Apartment, 163/1 NSC Bose Road, Kolkata 700040, India. Tel. +919874122266 / +919830655011. E-Mail: weekendfilms.kolkata@gmail.comSales AgentCountry: WorldwideRights: All Rights
Malay Dasgupta, a self-taught independent documentary filmmaker from Kolkata, studied Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University. He started his film making career in 1991 with a documentary film on traditional puppet theatre of Bengal. Till date he produced and directed more than 9 documentaries on varied subjects, especially in the areas of art, culture and music in different states of India apart from many television documentaries and non-fiction programmes. He also produced a number of television series and telefilms on behalf of major television networks in India between 2001 and 2005. His most important documentaries include Bindhyabasini (1993), Song of My Life (2006), Land of Eighteen Tides & One Goddess (2012), Lake of Fleeting Lights (2016) etc. He also directed a number of biographical documentaries on noted Indian musicians like Manna De, Suchitra Mitra and others. His films are screened in different film festivals in India and abroad. Dancing with Nature is his latest documentary shot during 2019-20 at Jharkhand state of India. He is a media consultant by profession and teaches Media Science at an institute in Kolkata.
The master mask maker of Seraikella Chhau, Kanhaiyalal Maharana, whom I dedicated the film, passed away in 2019 while the shooting of the film was still on. Travelled widely in India and abroad, he was a mine of information and possessed of true philosophical insight. Describing the nuances of mask-making and the aesthetics behind, his comments reveal his knowledge of anatomy and physiognomy. He is a complete delight, rambling sometimes but his exhortations are replete with quotes from the scriptures and memories of a bygone era. In the twilight of his life, he is profoundly analytical; at the same time, a tad wistful. In my quest to delve into the mind behind the mask, I intimately documented the philosophy and wisdom of the veterans at work. Their simplicity and rootedness pulsate throughout the film to help us understand how a traditional dance form retains its uniqueness in spite of induced homogeneity in modern life.