CHENNAI: At an age when most children are balancing school and hobbies, 12-year-old Bharatanatyam dancer Neetara Nair is preparing to take the stage at Chennai's prestigious Kalakshetra with Govinda: A Tale of Faith, an original dance-drama curated and choreographed by her guru, acclaimed Bharatanatyam exponent Puja Unni.
For Bharatanatyam exponent Puja Unni, Govinda: A Tale of Faith is more than an original dance production—it is a deeply personal journey. the guru says the production emerged from a place of introspection ."This is the first solo dance-drama production that I'm working on. It was really challenging to decide where and how to start. I simply wrote whatever came to me without judging it, and there are barely any changes to what I wrote then. This was my personal journey of longing, revelation and surrender," she says, adding that faith guided every step of the creative process. "Initially, the working title was The Call of Govinda. It was only through the making of this production that we arrived at its present name.
Structured in five chapters, Govinda: A Tale of Faith follows the emotional and spiritual journey of a seeker , from longing and self-discovery to revelation and surrender.
Unlike many Bharatanatyam productions that revisit familiar mythological narratives, Govinda turns inward, exploring an emotional journey instead. For Puja, that choice was intentional.
The idea was to push Neetara beyond her comfort zone , to help her attempt something she hadn't done before while highlighting her strengths and working on her weaker areas. I wanted to create a dance-drama using the language of a body trained in Bharatanatyam rather than making a conventional Bharatanatyam production. Instead of retelling an existing story," I wanted to see the world through the lens of a 12-year-old," she explains.
That vision could only be realised because of the trust she had in her disciple. Puja says Neetara's resilience and willingness to embrace challenges made her the ideal choice for an experimental production.
"One thing I really appreciate about Neetara is that she accepts situations as they come. Whether circumstances match expectations or not, she always finds a way to 'do it anyway'. She is very clear about one thing—she wants to dance well. That faith in herself, in what she does and in whatever comes her way became the foundation of this production," she says. "We've created this work with utmost sincerity and devotion, and now the work itself is guiding us."
The production blends Bharatanatyam with original music, theatrical design and storytelling in Telugu, Sanskrit and English. According to Puja, every artistic element was carefully woven together to serve the narrative.
"My composer, Easwar sir, and I were constantly in touch throughout the process. We kept sharing ideas and snippets with each other so that the music and visuals evolved together. That helped us maintain a balance where every element supports the story instead of competing with it."
For Neetara, performing at Kalakshetra is a dream she never saw coming. The young dancer says she only learnt about the venue after the production's premiere.
"I had no idea where I would be performing. When my parents told me it was Kalakshetra, I was shocked and grateful. I had watched great artistes like Methil Devika ma'am perform there, and to now dance on the same stage feels incredible," she says.