Sayantani Ghosh, who is seen as Vindhya Devi in Ravindra Gautam and Raghuvir Shekhawat’s Dahej Daasi, which is produced under their banner Do Dooni 4 Films, recently did a Tandav sequence in the show, and shared that it was super special for her. She not only got a chance to perform it, which is totally opposite of her character, but also got the opportunity to choreograph it.
Talking about the sequence, she said, “I was very excited when a dance sequence came up in the show, because Vindhya, my character, isn’t someone you’d expect to see dancing, so this sequence was special. We were doing a Maha episode where a tandav was required. In this scene, she was addressing certain energies and had to awaken a spirit trapped in an old sandook. She was performing a tandav to bring these dark forces to life. The best part was that I got to choreograph it. My producers knew I was a good dancer and gave me the opportunity to choreograph the dance.”
“I was thrilled that I got to perform and choreograph as Vindhya. When I posted the performance on social media, the response was overwhelming. People loved it. The sequence was intense, with a lot of energy, big fans blowing my hair around, and dramatic mood lighting. Normally, Vindhya has her hair covered with a pallu as a symbol of her respect and stature, but for this scene, her hair was flying around, adding to the frenzy. There was a large sandook and fire effects, creating the perfect Tandav setup,” she added.
She further shared that Tandav required a lot of energy since it was all about being super energetic to summon dark forces, and she put all her heart and soul into it.
“The response has been amazing, and all the hard work paid off. Another fun part of performing a tandav is balancing physical movements with emotions. Physically, you need to be very aggressive and full of energy, but it’s also important to convey emotions. Tandav is meant to be fiery and feisty, so that energy needs to be reflected in your eyes too,” she said.
“Dance is a combination of physical movements and facial expressions. It’s about how your face and eyes convey the story. So that was very important to keep that balance where my body is doing its part, putting in all the energy. But the eyes also have that fire in them, then anger in them. So I think that was very fun. That was challenging and fun as an actor to create that balance,” she added.
That Sayantani is a fabulous dancer is not news, but she revealed that she has not taken any formal dance training. She said, “When I was very young, probably around six or seven years old, my parents had put me in a generic dance class for a couple of months. At that age, you don’t learn much, but it has always been on my bucket list to learn dance—any form of dance. I especially love Indian classical dance, but I haven’t had the chance to pursue it yet. My love for dance was the first indication that I wanted to be an actor.”
“Growing up in Kolkata, my school often performed Rabindranath Tagore’s dance dramas, which combined dance with acting and emotions. I was very active in my school’s cultural programs, and that’s when I realized I was inclined towards the creative field. Even though I haven’t formally learned dance, I love it. I just need to turn on some music, and I’m ready to dance. Over the years, the industry has recognized and respected my dancing skills. Whenever people talk about actresses who can dance well, my name definitely pops up on the list,” she shared.
