A dancer who wants to be actor

If someone tells you he has 18 years’ experience in dancing, you won’t expect that person to be a teenager. But here the speaker is 21-year-old Arjun K.S. That he is not merely boasting about his credentials is evident from hat trick feat – the Kalaprathibha title in the Kerala University Youth Festival. The latest title came a couple of days ago at the 39th edition of the fest in Thiruvananthapuram with four firsts and three second places.

The final year Mechanical Engineering student at Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology has mastered many dance forms including Kathakali. Ottamthullal, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Folk Dance. On the day after the culmination of the event, Arjun was at another college fest in the city. As if too tired to try another stage so soon, he was just a spectator in the crowd. But still there were happy giggles and congratulatory messages swarming in, and a happy Arjun acknowledging them all. “I really ran from venue to venue. Sometimes, the time slots coincided. It was chaotic and confusing. I could not catch a wink for four days,” he describes all the mess before the moment of  glory.

The first time he became a Kalaprathibha was in 2014 at the same venue. The second chance was in 2016. He gave the year 2015 a miss as he made way for a senior student to take part.

Arjun came first in Kuchipudi, Folk Dance, Kathakali and Ottamthullal this time. His masterpiece, the Ardhanareeswaran performance was there this time too. Winning, in fact, has been a habit from school days. For five times in a row, he stood first in the state level school art fete with three steady firsts for Kuchipudi and two in Folk Dance. It was a proud moment when he represented India at the South Asian Universities Festival.

Interestingly, he wants to make dancing his profession and carry forward engineering also alongside. “I continue learning dance and I also take classical dancing lessons for students.” Arjun does not hide his love for a bigger platform where people like him are lured into – cinema. “Acting is something I would like to do. I won’t think a second time if I am chosen for a role. I am seriously considering body-building,” he breaks into laughter.