Kumari Kamala
| Kumari Kamala | |
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Kumari Kamala in the early 1950s
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| Born |
16 June 1934 Mayuram, Madras Presidency |
| Other names | Baby Kamala, Kamala Lakshman, Kamala Narayan, Kamala Lakshmi Narayanan |
| Occupation | Dancer, actress |
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Kumari Kamala (born 16 June 1934) is an Indian dancer and actress (not to be confused with Kamala Laxman). Initially featured as a child dancer, Kamala appeared in almost 100 Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films throughout her career. In the 1970s, she became a teacher of the Vazhuvoor style of dance in which she specialises.
She was born into a Brahmin family in Mayuram, India. Her sisters Radha and Vasanti are also dancers. At an early age Kamala began taking lessons in the Kathak dance style from Lachhu Maharaj in Bombay. She also took lessons in Hindustani classical music from Shankar Rao Vyas. She was discovered at age four by Tamil film director A.N. Kalyanasundaram Iyer when he attended a dance recital. He cast her in small roles in his films Valibar Sangam (1938) and Ramanama Mahimai (1939) where she was billed as Baby Kamala. Her dancing was noticed by other filmmakers and she moved to Hindi films with Kismet and Ram Rajya in 1943. Kamala's mother moved to Madras so her daughter could train under the Bharatanatyam teachers Kattumannarkoil Muthukumara Pillai and Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiyah Pillai. Kamala's first role in a successful Tamil film came in 1944 with Jagathalaprathapan where she performed the Paampu attam. Kamala played a double role in her next film Sri Valli (1945) and also played Krishna in the film Meera. However, it was her film Nam Iruvar that would make an impact on Tamil cinema. Nam Iruvar was full of patriotism and Gandhian songs, and its dances helped to revitalize and legitimize Bharatanatyam. The film is credited with sparking a "cultural revolution" throughout the Tamil speaking areas of India.
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