JOIN USLakshmi Gopalaswamy is a devoted student of bharathanatyam and has been performing since the age of 12.
With dance being Lakshmi’s passion, she has identified cinema as a medium to provide a new channel for self-expression. She has been trained for the past 18 years by late Narmada (of the Tanjore style) and Prof M R Krishnamurthy (of the Pandanallur).
Lakshmi holds the distinction of being Karnataka’s first recipient of the M G R Best Youth Dancer Award from the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1991.
She has acted and established her name in the Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada film industry, since her debut film with Mammootty, ‘Arayanangalude Veedu’, directed by Lohitdas, which also won her the Kerala State Award.
The Kannada audience is familiar with her much-appreciated performance in the movie ‘Aptharakshaka’.
1 | Author - Devdutt Pattanaik
“Devdutt Pattanaik is one of my favourite writers. His works are about gods and goddesses and his narrations of the Bhagwad Gita and the Mahabharatha are absolutely fresh and contemporary. They relate to today’s world. The spirit and philosophy behind the gods and goddesses in the works is amazing. I am reading ‘My Gita’ by him at the moment and enjoying it. I love Paulo Coelho’s writings and was initially impressed by ‘The Alchemist’ followed by his other works. I also like Aravind Adiga and his book ‘The White Tiger’.”
2 | Music- Hariharan
“My aesthetics of good Carnatic music have been shaped by my mother, Dr Uma Gopalaswamy. I can appreciate every type of music, whichever genre it is and have a strong foundation in Carnatic music. I have been highly influenced by artistes like K V Narayanaswamy, M L Vasanthakumari and now Bombay Jayashree. I listen to Hindustani music too and ‘ghazals’ and one musician who has influenced me is Hariharan. This is not just because of his music or voice — he’s a window to the world of ‘ghazals’. We met at a concert where both of us were performing and this was before he rose to such fame. He has made a name in the industry and I like his approach and devotion to the artform.”
3 | Place - Oxford
“I’ve travelled a fair amount. Oxford in England has a certain charm to it like none other. My brother graduated from there and I got a chance to visit the place. It was a unique experience to walk the streets which are frequented by brilliant minds. The ambience of the place is by itself striking — it’s a car-free zone and a safe place for anyone to walk.
Paris was the first city in my life which left a huge impact. I travelled alone to the city and it’s sheer grandeur baffled me. It was like eating chocolate cake laden with cream and icecream — it was too much to take in! It was a very rich experience. The broad avenues, bistros on either sides and the very fact that there was not even a single modern building there was pleasantly surprising!”
4 | Theatre - B Jayashree
“It’s tough to choose as there are many excellent artistes for whom work is worship. Though I’m not as much into theatre as other forms, I would say that B Jayashree is a stalwart in the theatre scene. I remember watching ‘Lakshapati Rajana Kathe’ during school days and it was mesmerising. Later, I had the privilege of watching ‘Nagamandala’, where she and Shankar Nag performed and the performance left a deep impact on me. Her electrifying voice is like none other. I also love Naseeruddin Shah; I’ve seen his performance in ‘Waiting for Godot’ among others. He is a ‘no-nonsense person’. Theatre is a serious artform and he is someone who is not afraid of calling a spade, a spade.”
5 | Actor - Meryl Streep
“I find Meryl Streep an awesome actor — her transformation from ‘Devil Wears Prada’ to ‘Mamma Mia’ to ‘Iron lady’ is phenomenal. She’s so exciting to watch onscreen. I also love Robert De Niro in Hollywood. Helen Miller is also a very fine and subtle actor. In Indian films, I love Mohanlal. He has a naturalness and is a universe of talent. Punctuality, humility and discipline are his dominant features. Mohanlal is a man with universal compassion, who is very tolerant, accepting and forgiving, and I’m deeply inspired by him. In Sandalwood, Anant Nag is another natural and a sophisticated artiste. He’s a great actor and I’ve watched his films ‘Ganeshana Maduve’ , ‘Yarigu Helbedi’ and ‘Udbhava’, which were awe-inspiring.”
6 | Inspiration - M R Krishnamurthy
“My inspiration is a collage of a lot of people. A lot of individuals have inspired me — they are those who quietly do their work and let their effort talk for themselves. Quiet and effective people top the list — one of them is my dance guru M R Krishnamurthy and the other is my guide Choodamani Nandagopal. Also, the veteran artiste Vyjayanthimala is a continuous inspiration. She has ruled the roost in Bollywood and even now she draws full houses because of her scholarship in dance.”
7 | Cuisine - ‘Gojju avalakki’
“I’m a quite a foodie and I love going out and eating. Earlier, I used to have cravings according to how my day progressed. But over time, one evolves and I have become much simpler. My all-time favourite is South Indian cuisine and ‘gojju avalakki’ and ‘akki roti’ top the list. They’re very regional and I love them! I’m predominantly vegetarian, but I still love experimenting with different cuisines and trying different things during my travels. I consider it as a part of the learning experience.”
(As told to Tini Sara Anien)