Amma is so friendly, I feel like she is my age: Uthara

Actress and dancer

Uthara Unni

recently received the Gopikrishna National award for bharathanatyam.

After performing to a packed audience there in Chhattisgarh, she is just back in the city. In a tête-à-tête, she talks about her passion for dance and more…


Have your love for dancing been there right from the beginning?
My mother, Urmila Unni (dancer and actress) wanted me to be a proficient dancer and while I was young she even performed a thulabharam of chilanka for me at the Guruvayur temple, so that I would take up dance seriously! But, probably because I was not in an age to understand its depth, that I never took dance seriously in childhood. It was during my college days in Chennai that I started performing and I was a constant presence in dance fests. The city also has a lot of people who appreciate dance and it fuelled my interest further. Learning the finer aspects of dance from Dakshayini Ramachandran helped me realise my potential in dance and I went on to perform in Chidambaram and Thanjavur, among other places.
Having done my graduation in Visual Communication and Mass Communication, graduating in bharathanatyam motivated me to take it up as a profession.


You are into singing, acting, directing, teaching and dancing. Was it a planned move to try everything?
As a kid I was an introvert and wanted to be a playback singer, so that I need not have to face live audience.
In my teenage, I wanted to do modelling and I was also part of a few television commercials. Then I went on to do my maiden performance as an actor in Tamil through the film Vavval Pasanga. While doing the film, I felt the urge to know the technical side of films and filmmaking. Hence I opted to study Visual Communication.
After acting in Edavapathi in Malayalam, I started directing documentaries in my college.
I guess I got rid of my inhibitions once I faced camera. Then on, I started venturing into many more things, one step at a time.
For instance, Lenin Rajendran sir had announced that after Crossroad, his next anthology featuring 10 stories would have me being part of his project as a director. I am totally excited to be working on it. When that gets over, I am sure something else will pop up.


How was it directing your mother Urmila for the short films ?
My short film Randam Varavu received a lot of attention, which I hardly expected. I was never nervous about directing my mother. Be it dancing or movies, while working, there has always been space for open discussion with her. Even during the short film, she made sure that it was my product and I should be the one taking the final call.


How is Urmila Unni as a person and a mother?
Amma is so friendly that I almost feel like she is from my own generation. She is more of a friend than a mother. She is someone you can easily approach with anything and even my peers come to her to discuss their relationship issues.
Also, I would say she is very naughty. She used to narrate horror stories during the dance classes to make everyone scared. She even used to let her hair loose and put on fake tooth to scare the hell out of each one of us.
So much was her naturality in essaying horror characters and in my first film I even wondered if she was possessed (laughs). She is totally the antithesis of a tender mother and I am glad to say that we get along like a house on fire!


How are you as a dance teacher?
I ensure that my students love each movement they do so that they would want to do it more often. I am always on the lookout for new ideas to inspire them. When I am teaching older children, I narrate mythological stories and explain the intricacies behind.

Upcoming projects and performances
I will be focusing on Lenin sir’s venture for the time being. After singing the song Pathirapontheril, I have also sung for a Hindi music album, the release date of which is not yet known. My upcoming dance performances will be in Mumbai and Thrissur.