Kala Master | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kala (1970-03-26)26 March 1970 (age 55) Chennai, India |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Vidyuth (b.2007) |
| Relatives |
|
Kala, known professionally asKala Master, is an Indian choreographer. She is the director of the Indian reality dance talent show,Maanada Mayilada – where she is one of the three judges.[1] She was awarded theNational Film Award for Best Choreography in 2000 for her folk dance sequences in theMalayalam film,Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal.[2][3] She is also classically trained inBharatanatyam,Kuchipudi andKathak dance forms.
A trained classical dancer with the Nritya Kalanithi award for Bharatanatyam in 1990, Kala, a school drop out, entered the film industry through the influence of her brother-in-law, the choreographer Raghuram. Making her debut as an assistant choreographer at the age of 12 in 1982, she got a break during the making ofPunnagai Mannan in 1986 starringKamal Haasan andRevathi, as directorK. Balachander suggested Kala fill in for the busy Raghuram.[4] She was then chosen again by Balachandar as the lead choreographer forPudhu Pudhu Arthangal (1989).
She has since worked in over 4000 songs in various languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada, Oriya, Bengali, English, Italian and Japanese. She has referred to the "Kozhi Koovum Neram achu" song inAzhagan as one of her leading pieces of work and also referred actress Bhanupriya as her favorite dancer. She was handed the opportunity to choreograph the Miss World 1996 Beauty Pageant held at Bangalore for which she received a special award of excellence. Moreover, she notes that a stage event in Malaysia featuringPrashanth and seven heroines, propelled her into fame. She was awarded theNational Film Award for Best Choreography in 2000 for her folk dance sequences in the Malayalam film,Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal.[5] She became the first to start a cinematic dance school named Kala's Kalalaya which has five branches in Chennai. She manages it along with her sisters. Kala's merit is in popularising a peculiar dance form, cobbled together with borrowings from classical, Indian folk, bhangra and western steps.[6] She also won theTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Choreographer for her work inChandramukhi.
She has since gone to specialise in directing dance reality shows, notablyMaanada Mayilada, which has finished nine seasons.[7] She is currently judging dance reality show Odi Vilayadu Papa inKalaignar TV.
| Movie | Song | year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punnagai Mannan | Choreographer | 1986 | [8] |
| Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal | 1989 | [9] | |
| Chandramukhi | 2005 | [10] | |
| Darbar | 2020 | [11] | |
| Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal | Actor | 2022 | [12] |
| Movie | Song | year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thiru Vi Ka Poonga | "Naalai Ellam Nalam" | 2015 | [13] |
Kala was born into a family of seven girls and revealed that she was brought up in a one-room house during her childhood. An elder sister, Jayanthi, first started dancing and acted as heroine in two films –Uthiripookkal andPoottatha Pookkal. Kala’s second sister Girija learned Bharatanatyam at Kalakshetra; and went on to work with choreographers Thangam and laterRaghuram Master, whom she married afterwards, and also become an independent choreographer. Kala was the sixth daughter, whileBrinda, a leading choreographer, is her youngest sister.[14]
One of her nephews,Prasanna Sujit, is also a film choreographer. Her nieceGayathri Raguram, daughter of late Raghuram and her sister Girija is also a choreographer and an actor. She has also introduced another niece Keerthi, daughter of Jayanthi and wife of actorShanthanu Bhagyaraj, as an anchor in her dance reality showManada Mayilada.
Kala was previously married toUAE-based businessman, Govindarajan in 1997, who is the brother of actressSneha. Kala had initially shifted toDubai after her marriage but problems prompted her to return to Chennai and take up choreographing again. The pair got divorced in 1999, and soon after Kala and Brindha controversially made derogatory comments about Sneha's dancing ability to a magazine.[15]
She married Mahesh in 2004. It was a love marriage. The couple has a son born in 2007.
| Year | Show | Role | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jodi Number One (season 1) | Judge | STAR Vijay |
| Super Dancer | Amrita TV | ||
| 2007 | Super Dancer 2 | Amrita TV | |
| Super Dancer JUNIOR | |||
| 2008 | Odi Vilayadu Papa | Director / Judge | Kalaignar TV |
| 2008–2013 | Maanada Mayilada (1-8 seasons) | Kalaignar TV | |
| 2014 | D 4 Dance (Season 1) | Judge | Mazhavil Manorama (Malayalam) |
| 2022 | Pottikku Potti – R U Ready | Colors Tamil |
