Recalls Sashi Kumar: In the context of my film Kaya Tharan, I wanted to sensualise the nuns in my film because nuns were becoming too pious for my liking. I didn't want the stereotypical nuns in my film. Though I didn't know many dancers, I knew I didn't want the usual dance in my film. I wanted creative choreography and I knew only Chandralekha could do that for me. Also, as I was writing the story, I had used her as a sounding board because I was curious to know her reactions at various stages.
But I was worried whether she would accept my request. I was very happy when she said she would do it. And, I told her very little about what I wanted. All I told her was, 'I have raised this point in my screenplay, I want a kind of transition that leads to many meanings and it has to be an operating thing. I want the nuns to be sensualised.' I told her something on these lines. She said, ok, I will think about it.
Then, I went to shoot the film. When I came back, she told me she had choreographed a 45-minute dance for me! Then, I had this terrible fear of telling here that I needed only 3-4 minutes. I saw the 45-minute dance and it was simply brilliant and a performance by itself. I asked Sadanand (Menon), how do I tell her that I need only a few minutes?' I can't shoot 45 minutes and cut it. She had structured it in such a way that you couldn't edit it; only she could.
She understood what I wanted and made it a 4-minute performance. So, what you see in the film is exactly what she had choreographed. She was there with us when we were shooting it on the East Coast Road one night although she couldn't walk then. She had to be carried to the seashore. It was a very lovely experience. Many were nonplussed when they saw the dance in the film. And, it turned to be the highlight of the film.
When I showed it some of the nuns in Kerala, the older ones were worried but the younger ones enjoyed it.
I think she (Chandralekha) is one of the most creative and innovative dancers that India has seen. She was good at many things, quite an accomplished person in that sense."
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