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What footwork!
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On World Disability Day, ANUJ KUMAR meets dancer-actor Sudha Chandran, the artiste with a Jaipur Foot
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Photo: Sandeep Saxena
Radiant Sudha Chandran in New Delhi
Ladies follow her bindi patterns, girls copy how she outlines her lipstick and if Sudha Chandran is to be believed kids fear a rocking chair. “My friends still tell me that their kids say when Ramola Sikand sits on a rocking chair, something un
fortunate happens!” For the uninitiated, Sudha played the role of Ramola in Kahinn Kisi Roz.
As she gets into a socialite mould again with Balaji Telefilms’ Kuchh Is Tara on Sony, Sudha says her disability has not come in her way in enacting different emotions. An accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer Sudha’s leg was amputated when she developed gangrene after a road accident. She went for an artificial leg, returned to the dance floor and went on to become a film star with Mayuri which was later made as Nache Mayuri in Hindi. Sudha says Dr. Sethi, famous for his Jaipur foot, moulded the artificial leg to suit the dance movements as far as possible and then left the rest to her. “It takes even a rock to solidify, so I took time to come to terms with the new realities of life, but once I did there was no looking back.” She says initially she wanted to make it big to save her parents from the comments of the society. “There are certain stereotypical jobs associated with disabled people. I wanted to prove that I could be successful in the glamour world as well. I thank the media for highlighting my strengths rather than creating sympathy for my disability.”
But the film industry always offered her sister, bhabhi roles after Nache Mayuri? “At that time, the scripts were written in such a way that after the heroine’s role, the actresses had not much choice. Anyway, I always say, Shekhar Suman and I are the biggest losses for the Hindi film industry.”
A disappointment
Her foray into the reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, has disappointed Sudha. She has been eliminated from the show despite good reviews from the judges. “I didn’t participate in the show for visibility. I wanted to prove a point.” Talking about the effort, she says she learnt Latin American dance for the show. “It was difficult for me because I am not wet clay. I have already moulded myself into Indian classical dance form. It was like methodically wiping out a word to create a new one.” Not in a mood to spill the beans, Sudha says, “I can only say there is no reality in a reality show. They wanted me to be a nominee of a wild card round to return to the show. I refused.”
As Mallika Deewan Nanda in Kuchh Is Tara, her stylish bindis are back but Sudha insists she doesn’t sport such bindis in real life. “In real life my dress code is different. Also, I must make it clear that Mallika is a positive character. I am happy that Balaji has dared to give me a positive role after making me popular as Ramola.”
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