A Journey from Entrepreneurship to Stage, ‘Drama’ only seems to follow her

Team Udayavani, Apr 7, 2022, 1:46 PM IST

‘Shoorpanaki’ – Many would readily identify the character to be based on the epic ‘Ramayana’, but this ‘Maya Shoorpanki’ is a modern-day adaptation of the vicious sister of Ravana, dressed in a shimmery red dress, black coat, and boots accessorized by a sling bag and a hat!

Today’s Shoorpanaki is a flirtatious, childish, innocent, enraged, and emotional character that is effortlessly played by Vasantha Krishnamurthy along with her fellow cast members from the play. By profession, Vasantha is the beloved teacher to many aspiring little performers who adds a tablespoon of ‘drama’ to their otherwise routine life every day.

Walt Disney once said ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ Hailing from a town next to Bengaluru, Vasantha moved to the city when she started pursuing her education in commerce. For a youngster who was looking for something exciting, a life with a calculator and excel sheet wasn’t something attractive.

Despite the initial resistance from her family, Vasantha started as a dancer considering her natural inclination toward performing arts. Next, she embarks on her journey to become an entrepreneur. She started teaching Jazz to many young aspirants in her own studio which later turned out to be a very successful venture for her. However, soon she realized her destiny is somewhere else and while she was trying to figure out her true calling she stumbled upon a rather unexpected opportunity to fulfill her quest to explore something creative. A renowned theatre group came to rent her studio for one of their plays and Vasantha immediately realized her calling – acting and theatre.

It’s now been six years since Vasantha started her journey as a theatre artist and there is no need to look back. So much is Vasantha’s love for theatre that she wrapped up her entrepreneurial life as the owner of a studio and started concentrating only on her performance. In fact, her talent attracted the best of the roles that boosted her portfolio too. Her stupendous performances won the hearts of fans and critics simultaneously. She received a fantabulous appreciation for her role of ‘Maya Shoorpanaki’ in the play Kaamaroopigal in the 42nd State-Level Kannada Drama Competition in Udupi held on January 2022.

Vasantha is also a devoted teacher. Currently, she is working as a Drama teacher in Orchids International School. She couldn’t be more ecstatic about this part of her life, which has opened a ‘whole new world’ for her.

Vasantha who has been teaching drama for the past couple of years feels that this was something that every kid for the past couple of decades has been missing. The ‘STEAM’ education emphasizes “Arts” as a subject, to boost a child’s confidence in expressing themselves, have open communication and be experimental with ideas. She is amazed by the ideas that students explore and pitch without any hesitation, something she believes the grownups wouldn’t have thought about. Children look forward to her classes every time and she loves spending every second with them.

Vasantha’s most gratifying and humbling experience is her interaction with the special needs children who respond splendidly to the drama classes. Even the smallest response from them towards taking part in the activities makes her feel proud of their efforts and hers. Recognizing a common ground with them and establishing their trust is what Vasantha always strives for as she believes that through drama or art they can express themselves more.

Vasantha believes that the theatre helps her concentrate on her character, while teaching helps her contemplate many ideas. She is grateful that the school where she has been working for the past 3 years giving her an enriching experience and opportunities in addition to the immense support she receives from the principal of the branch and her colleagues.

Vasantha looks forward to debuting as a director soon and adding more verticals to her already enriching journey.