Manjima Mohan Returns to Bharatanatyam After Nearly a Decade, Says She Regrets Giving It Up

Actress Manjima Mohan has returned to practising Bharatanatyam after nearly a decade away from the classical dance form, admitting that she regrets having given up an art she once loved.

The actress, wife of actor Gautham Karthik, shared a video of herself performing Bharatanatyam on Instagram, opening up about her early training, her long break and her happiness at reconnecting with the dance.

Recalling how her journey began, Manjima said her mother, who is also a trained dancer, introduced her to Bharatanatyam when she was just six years old. She performed her first arangetram, the traditional debut recital marking a dancer's formal entry into stage performance, at Guruvayoor when she was around 10.

She continued learning the classical dance form until college, but gradually drifted away from regular practice as life took a different course.

“My amma introduced me to Bharatanatyam when I was six, being a trained dancer herself. I did my first arangetram in Guruvayoor when I was around 10 and continued learning until college. And then somehow life happened and almost 10 years went by without me practising,” the actress wrote.

Although she continued to explore semi-classical dance during the intervening years, Manjima admitted that returning to Bharatanatyam was not easy because she felt out of practice.

She said the recent attempt reminded her of just how much she had missed the art form and helped her rediscover a long-standing passion.

“I do regret letting go of such a beautiful art form for so long but I am so happy to be finding my way back to it. Here's to many more!” she wrote, expressing hope that the renewed beginning would lead to many more performances.

Manjima also thanked her dance guru, Leelavathi Master, for teaching her the piece featured in the video and encouraging her to take up the challenge after such a long break.

“Thank you @leelavathimaster master for teaching me this beautiful piece and for pushing me to give it a try,” she added.

The actress's return to Bharatanatyam comes after she shared a reflection on social media earlier this year about the difference between online perceptions and a person's real life.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, Manjima observed that social media users often form strong opinions about others without necessarily knowing them personally.

“Social media perception about a person is not the ultimate truth! But some people speak it with so much certainty as if they truly know you!” she wrote.

Anticipating questions about the reason behind her post, she clarified that there was no specific incident prompting the observation. She also emphasised that social media platforms could be used to express personal thoughts and feelings rather than spread negativity.

“And before you ask ‘What happened?’, nothing happened. Just a thought I wanted to share. These platforms can be used to express what we feel too. Not just to spew hatred,” she added.