Rani on wrong foot over Odissi number

BHUBANESWAR: The Odissi dance fraternity in Orissa are furious with Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee for what they perceive as an insult to Odissi. Rani Mukherjee performed a dance at the IIFA awards function dressed in Odissi costume and a number of celebrated Odissi dancers and gurus feel that she had no business to do that. Says Aruna Mohanty, noted Odissi dancer and secretary of Orissa Dance Academy, the premier dance institute in Orissa, She had no business to do the filmi dance by wearing Odissi costume.She is learning Odissi. She should know how to maintain the dignity of the classical dance form. Incidentally, Rani has been learning Odissi from Mumbaibased Odissi guru Rabindra Atibuddhi who had been the teacher of Meenakshi Seshadri and Esha Deol too. Remarks a well-known Odissi male dancer, Like guru like disciple. Atibuddhi knows very little Odissi and when he came to the workshop in Bhubaneswar some years back it was a shame to watch him perform. He was an embarrassment. Be that as it may there are many who agree with Aruna Mohanty. Ramahari Jena, the first national award winning painter from Orissa and reputed printmaker, remarks: When I saw her executing mudras in the first few minutes I was impressed. It was fine. But then she began wiggling and sashaying in true filmi style with the Odissi costume on. It was an eye sore and a humiliating experience. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and his son Ratikanta have not seen Rani's performance at the IIFA awards held in Johannesburg last week. But they feel that Odissi is a classical dance form and its costume being typical the dignity should be maintained. Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, the central Sangeet Natak Academi award winner and architect of Konark Dance and Music festival, agrees.