Monday, April 4, 2011

2SSFA - 'Mrs Santha Bhaskar' by Tara Tan

Tara's first (?) foray into film is 3 minutes of gold, shimmers and accented delivery. She displays a well-trained eye for composition and aesthetics, reflecting that in the cinematography. In fact, every frame looks picture perfect in this simple documentary about 70-yr old Indian classical dancer Mrs Santha Bhaskar who came to Singapore in 1955 and pioneered the local Indian classical dance scene. The film packs a moderate surprise in the way it testifies the following Indian classical dance has gained among the Indian locals here, especially since it appears to be an exquisite and highly challenging dance form. In a strange way, the documentary felt a tad dated because of the purity and 'old-school' fashion of the treatment. But the film could perhaps be, for Tara, being a dance critic, a vehicle to explore her bigger love.

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