Mani sir has a lot of knowledge about dance forms and that’s why we could experiment: Brinda

Be it the victory dance of Chola Chola or the journey along Ponni Nadhi, AR Rahman’s songs in Mani Ratnam’s dream project Ponniyin Selvan - I have struck a chord with the audiences. We caught up with Brinda master, who has choreographed these numbers, to get an insight into the magnum opus. Excerpts from our chat…
How did your first conversation with Mani Ratnam regarding the film go?
To work in a period film, and that, too, under Mani sir’s direction… it’s a proud moment and I wanted to give it my best.When he asked me if I’d read the story (of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan), I answered in the negative. But later, I listened to the story at my sister’s house for 4-5 hours. I was really on by then. I’ve worked with him since Iruvar days; this is yet another special film and I must thank my guru Mani sir.
How was it choreographing the songs?
The first song we shot was Chola Chola. Mani sir was keen on getting the feel of royalty in the song. So, we planned to shoot the whole number in two-three days, but we actually wrapped it up in just one day. It’s all because of Mani sir’s speed, Ravi Varman’s excellent camera handling, Vikram’s energy level and the support of my dancers. Ponni Nadhi is a beautiful song sung by Rahman sir. When Mani sir narrated the situation, it had a lot of travelling and a festive vibe, and it required a lot of performance from Karthi.
The last time when you associated with Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman and Vikram was for Kedakkari and Kodu Poatta (Raavanan). How was it to work with the same combo again?
No no, I did not think of it at all (laughs). We erased all of the past before we started. Chola Chola was more a victory dance with soldiers.
So, how different are the songs in this one from the films you’ve associated with before?
The difference is stark. In our previous films, it was more cinematic whereas the choreography for Ponniyin Selvan was more real, keeping more of old folk than new, like more of classical folk, and even the postures we used. It was overall very interesting as we could imbibe old styles. Even for dancers, it gave them new experiences. It’s not easy to match Mani sir’s concept and AR Rahman’s music. So, that, in itself, was quite challenging for us.
In the promos of Ponni Nadhi, you and Karthi had spoken about the horse that features in the song. It must have been a unique experience for the two of you…
Usually, when we play music, animals won’t stand still. But on the contrary, this horse moved according to the tune and reacted beautifully. That’s why I said the horse had a musical sense. And Karthi rode it very easily; they became best friends. There is a high-jump shot, for which we thought we’d use a body double. But Karthi did it himself. He was so comfortable with the horse, and even the animal felt at ease with Karthi.
You’ve mentioned that with Mani Ratnam, you can explore new forms of dance. What can we see in this film?
Mani sir has so much knowledge about different dance forms. In Adiyae (Kadal), we did fusion, and in Kaatru Veliyidai, we did a tango song. We get to experiment with Mani sir because he trusts us fully. We’d feel happy, yet tensed about delivering as well. In this film, I’ve tried classical dance forms. There is a song in which we’ve tried fusion with tribal influences. Also, AR Rahman is vera level in it; it is a very different song, both concept-wise and music-wise. After seeing the choreography, Mani sir stood up, said ‘fantastic choreo’ and clapped. It was my happiest moment.
The film was shot amidst the pandemic and filming with hundreds of dancers must have been a challenge...
The production team deserves all the credit. The shoot during the second lockdown was not at all easy. I’ve personally seen how difficult it was to pull off this film — to get everyone assembled, tested (for COVID) and then shoot. They took extra care to ensure no one fell sick. To shoot with 200-300 people in one frame — it really took guts. Mani sir loves his movies and that’s why he could do it. Also, there were reheasals for every shot and that made it easier. I must thank all my dancers for making this possible. The songs will look very real.
With respect to the album, what’s more in store?
The album has six songs, and they all belong to different genres. A lot of hard work has gone into the making of these (part 1 and 2) films. It is not easy to make two films in 131 days. I hope people celebrate it.