While many new-gen Malayalam movies shy away from dance sequences, songs and dance numbers were a part of movies that we grew up with. They added to the flair of movies and were, at times, a welcome break from the main plot. So as a tribute to all the times they had us tapping our feet, swaying in our seats, and copying steps to perform on stage, we thought we’d list out some of the best dance performances in Malayalam cinema.
Alare Govinda (Kakkakuyil)
Choreographed by Prasanna Master and directed by Priyadarshan, the streets of Mumbai are recreated in the most colourful manner with beautiful dance steps and the ever-energetic Lalettan.
And here’s Prasanna Master talking about what happened behind the scenes.
Kakka Malayile (Mallu Singh)
Kakka Malayali is probably one of Malayalam’s strongest contenders for a high-energy koothu song. With Chackochan looking like on springs, supported by Unni Mukundan and even Manoj K Jayan, this dance number was choreographed by Shobi Paulraj.
Thinkale Poothinkale (Kalyanaraman)
Ramankutty’s self-proclaimed dance-off was brought to life through Brinda Master’s, Prasanna Master’s and Kool Jayanth’s choreography. With Chackochan packing a punch as always, Dileep ensures his comic signature plays to the tune of the song. And let’s not forget Lal and Navya with their energy and grace. Ought to bring back some memories for 90s kids!
Also read: MALAYALAM MOVIE TROPES FROM THE 90S
Lajjavathiye (4 the People)
While Jassie magic swooped Kerala with Lajjavathiye making it a cult classic, the visuals and choreography didn’t receive as much limelight. The punchy visualisation, involving a tradition meets trend, is gracefully danced out by Bharath and Gopika. This song was beautifully choreographed by Brinda Master, Sridhar and Kool Jayanth. And kudos to director Jayaraj and RD Rajashekhar for the direction and camera work.
Ghanashyaama (Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal)
One of the most popular semi-classical dance numbers of all time, Ghanashyaama was beautifully choreographed by Kala Master and performed by Lakshmi Gopalaswamy and Bhanupriya.
Vijana Surabhi (Bachelor Party)
With great visualisation and dance sequences, Vijana Surabhi is an example of how an ‘item number’ can be treated with grace. This song was choreographed by Dinesh and Gayathri Raghuram and directed by Amal Neerad.
Also read: 7 REVOLUTIONARY FEMALE CHARACTERS FROM MALAYALAM CINEMA
Oru Murai Vanthu (Manichitrathazhu)
Perhaps one of the greatest movie dance sequences that also had to play a part in the narrative, Oru Murai Vanthu was performed by Shobhana and Sridhar and choreographed by Shanti Master and Kumar.
Karale Karalinte (Udayananu Tharam)
With Sreenivasan and Meena leading the dance performance, Karale was perfectly visualised as a dreamy dance sequence with a retro Bollywood/Hollywood theme. Credits to Brinda Master, who won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Choreography for this movie, and director Rosshan Andrrews.
Walking In The Moonlight (Sathyam Sivam Sundaram)
The poetically visualised and choreographed dance sequences in this song were beautifully supplemented by Hariharan and Vidyasagar magic. Aswathi Menon and Chackochan ensured a breezy dance number supported by talented background dancers. This one was choreographed by Kala Master and tastefully visualised by director-cameraman pair of Rafi-Mecartin Ravivarman.
Also read: MALAYALAM SONGS THAT DESERVED BETTER MOVIES
That was our list. Did we miss your favourite? Tell us in comments.
