Shobhana looks philosophically at awards

Sep 19, 2008 IANS

Bangalore, Sep 20 (IANS) National Award winning actress and danseuse Shobhana, who may face the arc lights once again for Kamal Haasan's Rs.1.25-billion movie "Marmayogi", says she is not enamoured of awards and accolades any more.

"I started my acting and dance career at the same time. Accolades and awards meant a lot to me then. But now I am not too enamored by it," Shobhana told IANS.

Having started her film career 24 years ago with director Balachandra Menon's "April 18", she won her first National Award for her performance in "Manichitra Thazhu" in 1994.

"When the award for 'Manichitra Thazhu' was announced, I was quite excited. But seven years later when I was selected for my second National Award, the level of excitement had come down. Now I look philosophically at these things," said Shobhana.

In her more than two-decade- long career, she has acted in over 200 films in five Indian languages. She has also worked with all the southern superstars like Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Vishnuvardhan, Mammootty and Mohanlal.

She won her second National Award for the English film "Mitr, My Friend". In 2006, the actress received the Padma Shri Award for her contribution to the Bharatanatyam dance.

According to her, dancing and acting are two different ball games.

"Acting in films is a different cup of tea. If we make mistakes during shots, we get a chance to correct it in the next take. And as an actor I'm only responsible for my performance. Basically, film is teamwork and there are others in the team who can be accountable for the film's success or failure.

"But in a dance performance, I'm solely responsible for the entire show. If a small mistake occurs during the performance on the stage, it can't be corrected. There are no retakes on the stage. We have to fully ensure that we don't make mistakes on the stage. And I have to put in a lot of creative efforts for a stage show which includes some writing and also rigorous rehearsals," she said.

She is the niece of the Travancore sisters - Padmini, Raagini and Lalitha.

Shobhana has founded the Kalarpana Dance School and plans to organise annual festivals in major cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Pune and New Delhi. The dance school also trains enthusiasts from all age groups to learn dance techniques by expert dancers.

"It was my idea of giving back something to the performing arts that has made me a celebrity. I am also conducting classes in my dance class whenever I get some time. But it (the school) is for the advanced studies of dancing technique," said Shobhana, who is in her 40s.

And what about marriage plans?

"I'll get married only when I find a person who allows me to continue my passion for dance and acting. I am yet to find the right person. That is why I have not married yet."

Shobhana was last seen in the 2007 Hindi film "Apna Asmaan" with Irrfan Khan.