Dance in Indian Films

This article has first been published in TanzOriental October 2003

The largest film industry in the is not based in the USA but in India. Every year about 800 films are produced in the main languages of the sub-continent. Important film centers can be found in Cennai (Madras), Kalkutta and Mumbai (Bombay). The most popular ones are those from "Bollywood" (= Bombay + Hollywood) which are produced in Hindi.

Indian films are made to entertain a wide audience and therefore offer a lot of variety. They can easily run for 3 hours full of romance, drama, comedy, fighting, songs and dance. The story mostly follows the pattern of good vs. bad and boy-meets-girl and also portrays Indian moral and values (for example the family as the center of society). A very popular motive are triangle relationship where one person sacrifices his or her love for the happiness of the other two – resulting in emotion-loaded scenes where even the male actors shed a lot of tears.

Dance as a way of telling stories has a long tradition in India. Already in the Sanskrit theater, songs and dances were an important part of the show. Today cinema carries on with this tradition. An Indian film without song and dance scenes will be a flop in the domestic market – such films are mostly produced for the West. Older productions featured mainly classical dance styles, but modern films have a very particular, mixed style that adds a lot to the entertainment value of a film.

Contrary to Western film musicals where song and dance scenes are an integrated part of the story, this effort is mostly not done in Indian films. Just a moment ago the lovers were standing on the stairs of a temple – and suddenly they find themselves in the park of a palace or on a hill with a chorus line of about 30 people who sing and dance along with them. The lyrics of these songs often are a chance for the couple to declare their love or to comment the happenings in the film so far. But the actors don’t sing themselves. That’s the job of specialized playback singers who can get famous as well.

It is quite common to wear various different costumes during a song and the location and camera angle often change as well. This is why the dances are never rehearsed as a whole. The actors only learn the few steps that are needed for a scene. The many short scenes are later cut together. Otherwise it would be impossible to realize the sometimes very fast dance scenes of 5 to 8 minutes without ruining make-up or hair.

By the way, dance scenes are not only a women’s thing. Male actors are also judged for their dancing abilities and can shake their hips just the same. In a duet number however the part of the man is often mainly to present the woman nicely. Basically everyone in a film can get a sing and/or dance scene, from the little girl to the soldier, from the aunt to the brother.

As censorship doesn’t allow the actors to kiss or even do more, the dance scenes are a way of expressing "what it’s all about". So suggestive movements and gestures are very common in the dance routines. And if the beautiful young heroine is surprised by the rain and her wet sari sticks to her body, there is not much left to be desired…

There is not just "the" Bollywood dance style but many variations. The movements depend on the choreographer as well as the general style and mood of a film. The movements for modern pop songs that account for the majority of dance scenes could be described as a mixture of Indian folkore, ski gymnastics, MTV style and Middle Eastern dance. But there are also numbers with more focus on classical dance styles or the folk dances from a specific region.

Let’s compare three different styles of dancing in films that were shot during the last few years, Dil Chahta Hai, Lagaan and Devdas.

Dil Chahta Hai ("the heart wants") plays in a modern, Western oriented setting, partly in Australia. The music is poppy and fashionable just as the clothes and houses. The dances are choreographed in a very modern way and mixed with a lot of MTV-style.

Devdas (name of the hero) is a tragical love story that has been adapted for cinema many times before. The latest, very opulent production plays around the year 1930. Decor and costumes are designed accordingly and also the music is more classical than in most of the films nowadays. Many of the dance scenes are influenced by the classical dance style Kathak. In one of the numbers the dancer/actress (Madhuri Dixit) is wearing a dress that is so heavily embroidered that it weights 17 kilos!

Lagaan ("tax") plays in an agricultural region in the year 1892. The actors wear simple peasant clothes and the dances are more folklore-inspired – while there’s not even dancing through all the songs. So this film differs a bit from the usual pattern.

There are also various music and dance styles in one film. In Lagaan and Devdas the songs have been choreographed by various people whereas Dil Chahta Hai is entirely the work of star choreographer Farah Khan. The dance numbers also follow the mood and situation in the story and are choreographed accordingly.

It is very popular to shoot dance scenes in "exotic" regions. From the point of view of Indians these are for examble the Swiss mountains or Irish landscapes. The sumptuous green is a symbol for a paradise-like feeling. But there are also films where the songs are integrated directly into the story like in the very successful Hum Aapke Hain Koun….! (Who am I to you) where all dance scenes play in and around the house. Depending on the amount of work and expenses spent for the dance scenes these can take up to one third of a film budget!

The basic repertoire of most films contains love and wedding songs, religious pieces as well as a Bhangra number. A love song can be the moment when hero and heroine get close to each other for the first time – but this can also be a dream sequence where the meeting is desired. For these songs the music is usually not very fast, the couple will gaze into each others eyes a lot and not dance much. Weddings are an opportunity for colorful dance numbers with many people in them. Religious songs can be danced as well – after all India is the country where the gods dance themselves. Bhangra is the name for the music and dance from the Punjab region in the North and is very popular in the films nowadays for joyful party scenes.

Then there are the "nightclub dancer" scenes. These are usually just dance scenes for the sake of dancing. In earlier years they also offered an opportunity to show a bit more skin. But nowadays even the "good girls" in the films wear rather short skirts, so it’s not really necessary anymore to have a special number for this purpose. When listening to Bollywood songs you can often recognize these numbers by the deeper voice of the singer – whereas the voices of the positive female roles are always rather high pitched. A variation in older films are Mujras, the dances of the courtesans.

It is completely natural for Indian actresses and actors to dance in films and move their lips to background music. Amitabh Bachchan, a star of Sean Connery format, said for example in an interview that music is an important part of Indian culture and should not be taken out of the films. One should rather make more people familiar with the Indian film format. He says that it doesn’t do a hero any harm to sing and dance from time to time if his role requires it.

Besides the big stars there are also many background dancers in the song scenes. "Film dancer" is an occupation for thousands of people. Some choreographers have their own troupes whom they pay directly, others form their chorus lines according to the dance scenes.

Choreographers

With the enormous number of films that are produced in India every year, not only actors but also choreographers are often working on several films at a time. There’s a lot of hard competition in the film business and choreographers always have to give their best to stay on top. Saroj Khan (one of the choreographers for Lagaan and Devdas) told about a time when she choreographed the dances of nine films in nine days – and didn’t sleep during all this time. She always creates her choreographies directly on the film set. First she shows the sequences with her assistant, then the stars and background dancers learn the steps and the sequence is shot. Then follows the next part of the song.

While choreographers are on the set they have total control and the director has only to explain his idea of the song and how it will work in the film. For choreographing a film dance one does not only need skills in dancing but also in general film techniques to be able to decide about camera angles and lightening.

There are different ways of becoming a film choreographer. Here are some examples:

The before mentioned Saroj Khan is today one of the most successful choreographers in India who has worked with all the famous heroines and won innumerable awards in the film industry. Saroj loved to dance since she was a child and was brought to the film studios by the age of three to support her family. Her father changed her name from Nirmala to Saroj so that the religious family wouldn’t know that the girl was working in films which was not regarded as respectable. Saroj developed from child actress to group dancer, then assistant of a choreographer and finally debuted 1974 as a dance master in a film. She doesn’t have a formal training in the classical styles but learned the basics of Kathak, Bharata Natyam and other classical Indian dancers from the choreographer she was working with.

Pandit Birju Maharaj comes from a family of well known dancers of the classical dance style Kathak and received his education first from his father, later from his uncle. Meanwhile he has taught many young dancers himself. For the film Devdas he composed and choreographed a Kathak number.

Upcoming talent Vaibhavi Merchant who has worked for Devdas and Lagaan is the grand-daughter of a famous film choreographer and has an aunt and uncle who are in the business as well. She has an education in classical Indian dance and ballet. She had her debut as assistant choreographer in 1994.

Interview

Honey Kalaria who lives in the UK and has a school for Indian film dance, Bhangra and acting since 1997, has worked for several Bollywood productions and tells us about her work in this interview.

In which dance styles did you have a formal training?

Indian Classical (Bharat Natyam and Kathak), Latin American, Rock'n'Roll, Egyptian Dance (Belly dancing), Disco, Bhangra and Bollywood.

When and how did you start out with film dance?

My Mum taught me a dance when I was 4 years old. She entered me into a talent show and I came back with 1st price.

When choreographing for a film, what inspires you? How do you choose the movements?

You need to listen to the lyrics of the song and the style of music. You also need to understand what the situation is in the storyline of the film when the dance is supposed to be performed. I tend not to use the same kind of movements as I try to come up with something new and original every time I choreograph a routine. Also it is important to understand how the director visualises the sequence. Sometimes there may be various props or locations to be used which need to be implemented within the choreography.

How much collaboration is there between the choreographer and other people who are in charge of the dance scenes for things like costuming, music etc?

The choreographer needs to work closely with the dance director and the cameramen. It is suprising how a slight change in a camera angle can enhance the look of a shot. You also need to build a good rapport with the dancers to get the best out of them. Sometimes you work to the ability of the leading actors as they may not be such strong dancers, but you want to put them across on screen in the best possible way. In this way you highlight their strengths and cover up their weaknesses.

The costume designers are in charge of the wardrobe, colours, costume designs and fabrics. The music director is in charge of producing the music and even they have their own style of music composition. For example: A.R. Rahman (music director of Bombay Dreams) is very good at blending Eastern and Western music. Nadeem Shravan is another director who is very well known for Indian style romantic songs.
The make-up artists and hair stylists need to ensure the look of the actors and dancers is right.

How do you work with the dancers on the film set? In the films, the dance scenes have many cuts with different costumes and locations in one song. Do you only train the dancers / actors for a few steps at a time or do they dance the whole song?

Sometimes we tend to rehearse the dance routines in advance but most of the time, the rehearsing is done on location or in the studio whilst the filming is taking place. Each sequence is taught step by step in short pieces and then filmed. There are normally a lot of costume changes in a Bollywood dance. Also, one minute they could be dancing in India and another in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower. There is a great deal of fantasy and reality mixed together, adding to the glamour of the dances and songs.

What about the people who dance in the chorus line? Is "film dancer" just another job?

A job for a Bollywood film dancer is very competitive. In India, there are thousands of dancers always looking for work. But if you are good, you will always be busy. There are over 800 films produced from Bombay and each film will have 6 / 7 songs, so there is plenty of work available. Here in the UK we have excellent Bollywood dance students, trained at Honey's Dance Academy who have been used in dance sequences being shot in the UK.

Is there a competition between film producers to have as many people as possible in the dance scenes?

There are sometimes 100's of dancers used in Bollywood films. Spectacular choreography, colourful and vibrant costumes and beautiful and sensuous actresses all add to its splendour.

What else would you think is important to know about Indian film dance?

Indian film dance uses many different styles of dance styles ranging from Western to Eastern, Arabic to African, right throughout to hip hop and street dance. If a song/dance becomes popular, the film becomes a hit. Audiences will flock to see the film 10 times just to see the one dance which has become so famous.

Is Indian film dance becoming a fashion in the UK that many dance schools offer or is it just you who does it?

Honey's Dance Academy is the only school that teaches professional Bollywood dancing. There are other schools opening up gradually, especially as there is a huge demand for dance training.
British Asians love Bollywood dance because it has the Indian culture attached to it but yet is now modernised - something they can relate to. Now the mainstream seems to be catching on and is having a snowball effect on the market.

Pictures from the films Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! and Hum Saath Saath Hain used with the friendly permission of Rajshri Productions Ltd.
Picture from Honey's instructional video used with her permission

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