Sandalwood choreographers have donned the director's hat effortlessly and are producing box office hits with ease. With their captivating dancing skills, they have managed to woo Kannada audiences. The recent release 'Bhajarangi', also directed by acclaimed choreographer A Harsha has only added to the trend of dancers turning into directors in tinsel town.
These choreographers with their disco flavoured tracks like 'Jinke Marinaa', 'One two three Vishnu-Vardhana' have taken the industry by storm with their mind-blowing dancing expertise. However, they say that their heart lies in direction and dancing was just by accident, and passion of course. Choreographer-turned-director A Harsha has almost four movies in his kitty with Kannada superstars and says that, he has always wanted to be a director. Though he started out as a choreographer, he says, “Dance happened to me by chance, but I have always dreamt of directing movies." His movies speak volumes of his experiences. “I wanted to challenge myself with each movie I make, and all my films are testimony to that. I try to experiment and add an array of elements. I take time to decide the scripts. I fine-tune my concepts to make it stand apart from a routine movie," he explains.
It is quite a healthy trend as most actors feel that anyone in the industry will eventually want to direct. Acclaimed director, Yograj Bhat appreciates the trend and says that when choreographers become directors they present the movie in a song format, giving life to the characters. He adds, “A three hour movie looks and feels like a song and hence, the end product is perfect. Choreographers understand the nuances of cinema and present it in a racy format which clicks well with audiences."
Another dancer to get behind the camera is Imran Sardhariya, who is shooting an untitled project with Ajay Rao and Radhika Pandit. He feels that the experience has been phenomenal. Hosa Ganna Bhajana, which showed the dancing prowess of Puneet Rajkumar was choreographed by Imran, which he says was his most “challenging" work. He explains, “It is not about a dancer becoming a director, but an artiste trying a different role. It stems from the passion of conveying emotions through a song. As dancers, they live in rhythm and hence it becomes easy for them to execute content within the time frame."
