For fans of Malayalam cinema, the name of film star Shobana conjures up the endearing archetype of the nice young girl, a slim, soft-spoken, intelligent, and faithful character that can pack plenty of fun as well as sensitivity into every activity. In some ways her on-screen image combines all that Indian girls would like -- or are expected -- to be. Educated, beautiful and inwardly strong, silent and obedient yet possessing the wit to deliver the right repartee bang on target. She is the kind of young woman you can't dislike.

As for appearances, seeing her in real life here in the capital where she was on a short sojourn to fix up some forthcoming Bharata Natyam performances was a bit like stepping into the film world, because Shobana looks off screen exactly as she does in front of the camera. Even her height, noticeable only rarely when she appears in a long shot, standing a good head taller than some of her male counterparts, plays hide and seek in real life too. Though tall and absolutely well proportioned, she mysteriously gives the impression of being slightly built.

That film stars look like their screen image is partly because of Malayalam mainstream cinema's realistic portrayal of life in Kerala, and its avoidance, on the whole, of the brashness and vulgarity associated with the Mumbai industry. These are also the qualities that make Malayalam films popular among families. Charming Shobana fits right into this world, kindling a responsive chord in the hearts of her audience.

But it is also a relief to know that she is not as soft spoken and docile as her screen persona. Shobana in the flesh is articulate, frank and outspoken. She reveals that, having begun acting in films at 'around thirteen or fourteen,' she decided, when she was twenty-four, that 'I was a bit too old to be prancing about trees,' in the mould of the young romantic heroine. So she quit films and began concentrating on Bharata Natyam.

This career option was not a bolt out of the blue for Shobana. As in acting, so too in dance, Shobana did things early in life. Her formal training in Bharata Natyam began when she was a three-year-old. For the first two years she learnt under Guru K.J. Sarasa and thereafter came under the tutelage of Chitra Visweshwaran. She performed her arangetram in 1984 at Chennai. She has been teaching Bharata Natyam ever since she was seventeen.

Though a Malayali by parentage, Shobana has always known Chennai as home. For a family entrenched in the arts and cinema (Shobana is the niece of the famous Padmini, Ragini and Lalitha, known as the Travancore sisters, who were renowned for their dance as well as screen careers), Chennai was the natural place to settle, as this was where all the activity of the south Indian film industry centred. But as the trend for more authenticity and local colour grew, shootings began to take place in the original regional settings, and therefore Shobana has spent 'about half my life' in Kerala.

For a busy film star to keep up a demanding art like Bharata Natyam is not easy. 'At one time I was doing about twenty films a year, ' she recounts, but later cut down on the number. Even at this frenetic pace of shooting, Shobana says, 'I saw to it that I kept dancing.' She managed to do so by accepting performances at small and big venues, and gave at least a performance a month.

Shobana candidly comments that her performances may not have been all of such good quality, but they helped her stay in touch with her passion. And what a passion! Wherever she went on shooting assignments, she insisted on making time for her Bharata Natyam rehearsals. Hotels where the film units were put up got used to the idea that this star needed a place for her dance practice, and they obliged by providing her a hall to suit her timings. In village locations, it was not always easy. Sometimes the villagers got a whiff of the news and would try to steal a peak at the film star busy with her dance rehearsal. So the group had to exercise restraint and some cunning to retain their privacy.

During the December season when all of Chennai rings with classical dance and music, Shobana would take a month off from her film commitments and perform at the sabhas, including the Music Academy, since these are considered prestigious venues and gave her a chance to dance in front of the 'serious' dance aficionados. But the distinction between film actors and classical dancers, or between 'filmy' dance and the 'serious' classical variety does not go down well with Shobana. And if anyone thinks she's had it easy in the performing world of Bharata Natyam just because she is well known enough to be mobbed on the streets by adoring fans, Shobana clarifies that rather than being an asset, a film label is a handicap when it comes to organisers choosing artists. Most people assume that cinema ruins the classicism of a dancer, conveniently forgetting that great names in Bharata Natyam, such as the legendary Kamala, Padmini, and Vyjayantimala to name a few, also pursued both screen and stage careers with dignity, skill and immense success.

Thus Shobana has had to prove her worth as a Bharata Natyam dancer before skeptics. When critics began writing about her fine technique, precise movements and rhythmic prowess and actually wondered why film stars are considered somewhat second rate classical dancers, the wind began to turn in her favour. If some benchmark were needed to show that she has been accepted as a national level Bharata Natyam dancer, she can boast of having performed before President Bill Clinton during his recent visit to Hyderabad.

But Shobana has never allowed the judgment of others to sway her from her beliefs. Many awards have come her way, in both dance and cinema. In 1984 she won the Film Critics' as well as the Nana Gallipol Best New Face awards for her first film, 'April Padinettu' ('April 18th'), and, at the other end of her film career, the National Award for Best Actress for her role in the film 'Manichitra Thazhu' in 1993. Despite such heady success, she opted out of films soon afterwards when she felt (and many would not have agreed with her) that she was no longer 'young enough' for the roles she was doing. She is certainly not averse to acting again in films, provided the character she plays is of the requisite maturity and depth she now finds appropriate. But for now she is concentrating on her Bharata Natyam. Here too, despite the prevailing theories that an artist matures with age and experience, and that youth and beauty alone are not what make up the essence of Indian classical dance, Shobana does not give herself too much leisure to reach the heights of her art.

She is of the opinion that a dancer should retire gracefully at the age of thirty-six, because she says that after all, it is a physical art, and a great deal depends on the agility of the body and the overall visual impression. There are notable exceptions, who 'don't look a day over twenty-eight and don't dance a day over twenty-five,' but these are not the norm.

When people point out to her that it is easy for her to expect others to retire, but she will not want to do so when she reaches the age limit set by herself, she replies calmly that if she could opt out of a much more glamourous career in her prime, why won't she be able to do so with this one? Only time can answer that poser.

There are many things a dancer can do besides perform, points out Shobana, including teaching, writing, and choreography. For her own part, it would seem that she is already preparing for phase three of her career, by running a dance school, Kalarpana. Besides dance training for senior and junior students, she conducts performances and has presented her senior students in several performances at home and abroad. Shobana describes her school as 'very middle class,' in terms of fees and accessibility, but one where 'we try to provide high class teaching.'

It is crucial to Shobana that a child retains the joy of dance while going through the rigourous training process. She takes classes in batches of thirty, but before you can gasp she explains that she places a teacher after every two lines. She just finds the teaching and learning process is much more fun like this than in very small groups or individually. Besides, it is not just about teaching dance. 'It's about talking to them, teaching them about philosophy, teaching them how to look at dance, teaching them that school is most important, but at the same time giving them more options in life.'

She is proud that some of her students have opted for full time careers in dance, just for the love of the art, though she does do her best to open their eyes to the fact that it is a very unreliable and financially unstable profession.

While technique is important, she feels that the ability to communicate with an audience is much more essential for a dancer. Shobana does not have much patience for those who complain that this or that dancer has crossed the limits of classicism or technique in a particular style, because, she demands 'Who made the rules?' This kind of discussion is fraught with debate, and really, it would seem, Shobana is reflecting the ethos of tolerance and true art that transcends rules and all other barriers of time and space, and which speaks to the heart. This was the ethos in which she was raised. 'I have seen such great artists perform,' she says dreamily, referring not just to her aunts but also others of that era.

Shobana describes her aunt Padmini as a total artist who has the capacity to take up any dance form, be it folk, classical, or filmy, and perform it to perfection, instead of deriding it as below her dignity. The ability to accept the good points in the art of others and to be non-judgmental is, in a sense one of the heirlooms she has received, and it is a great quality in her guru Chitra Visweshwaran too.

Shobana has done her share of experimentation. She has performed with Shivamani's drums, and her group has also participated in a 'Shuddha Nrittam' composition with the Tavil maestro Valayapatti Subrahmaniam. She is currently planning to take her troupe to the Gulf region with a production that includes theatre, dance, and dialogue, and a 'kitchen orchestra' made up of household utensils.

Next month holds promise for Delhiites, who will get to see her live in a Bharata Natyam recital that is planned for the 18th of April. Another April Padinettu? It certainly augurs well for a successful future