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{{for|the upcoming 2019 Indian drama film|Bala (2019 film)}}

{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Bala
| image = Bala (short film 1976, title card).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Title card of the film
| director = [[Satyajit Ray]]
| producer = [[National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)|National Centre for the Performing Arts]], [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
| writer = Satyajit Ray
| narrator = Satyajit Ray
| starring = [[Balasaraswati]] [[V. Raghavan]] [[Uday Shankar]] [[V. K. Narayana Menon]]
| music = Satyajit Ray
| cinematography = [[Soumendu Roy]]
| editing = [[Dulal Dutta]]
| distributor = National Centre for the Performing Arts, Government of Tamil Nadu
| released = 1976
| runtime = 33 Minutes
| country = India
| language = English
}}

'''''Bala''''' is a 1976 [[documentary film]] made by [[Satyajit Ray]], about a [[Bharatanatyam]] dancer, [[Balasaraswati]], fondly known as "Bala".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.satyajitray.org/films/bala.htm|title=Bala@satyajitray.org|access-date=8 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.is/20120911121224/http://www.satyajitray.org/films/bala.htm|archive-date=11 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The film was jointly produced by [[National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)|National Centre for the Performing Arts]] and [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]. The thirty-three-minute documentary features the life and some of the works by Balasaraswati in the form of narration and dance, starring herself. At the age of fourteen, Ray had seen a performance of Balasaraswati in [[Kolkata]], then known as "Calcutta", in 1935, when she was seventeen years old.<ref name="balarayusc">{{cite web|url=http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/films/bala.html |title=Bala@satyajitray.ucsc |access-date=8 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222015711/http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/films/bala.html |archive-date=22 February 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref>

Ray had initially planned to make a film on Bala in 1966, when she was in her prime, however he could not start filming until 1976. Though Bala was often called "a revolutionary Bharatanatyam dancer",<ref name="baladavid"/> she had never been filmed till she was 58 years old, in spite of having a career spanned over four decades.<ref name="balarayusc"/> Ray decided to make the film on Bala, "the greatest Bharatanatyam dancer ever" according to him,<ref name="raybook">{{cite book|title=Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye|publisher=I. B. Tauris; Revised and Updated edition|author=Robinson, Andrew|author-link=W. Andrew Robinson|pages=279, 280|isbn=1860649653|chapter=Chapter 26: Documentaries: Sikkim (1971) Sukumar Ray (1987) Bala (1976) Rabindranath Tagore (1961) The Inner Eye (1972)|date=January 1989|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnkcLvYRNfMC&pg=PA274|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928093416/https://books.google.com/books?id=TnkcLvYRNfMC&pg=PA274|archive-date=28 September 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> to document her art for future generations with the "main value as archival".<ref name="balarayusc"/> When Ray filmed the then 58-year-old Bala for the documentary, she wore the same pair of anklets which she had worn more than fifty years before for her debut performance, at the age of seven.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dearcinema.com/article/satyajit-ray-on-balasaraswati-bala-1976/5402 |title=Satyajit Ray's "Bala": Lesser work of a master filmmaker? |publisher=[[DearCinema.com]] |date=31 October 2012 |access-date=9 January 2013 |author=Ramakrishnan, Nivedita |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106182708/http://dearcinema.com/article/satyajit-ray-on-balasaraswati-bala-1976/5402 |archive-date=6 January 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> Ray is reported to have said about the delayed filming of the documentary that "Bala filmed at 58 was better than Bala not being filmed at all."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmthreat.com/features/50639/ |title=The Bootleg Files: Bala |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522000918/http://www.filmthreat.com/features/50639/ |archive-date=22 May 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref>

The film's script was included in a book named ''Original English Film Scripts Satyajit Ray'', put together by Ray's son [[Sandip Ray]] along with an ex-CEO of Ray Society, Aditinath Sarkar, which also included original scripts of Ray's other films.<ref name="rayscript">{{cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-04-09/news/29400615_1_satyajit-ray-ray-society-sandip-ray|title=Satyajit Ray: Saluting the auteur|work=[[The Economic Times]]|date=9 April 2011|access-date=1 January 2013|author=Nag, Ashoke}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Original English Film Scripts Satyajit Ray|publisher=DC Publishers|author=Ray, Satyajit|year=2011|pages=216|isbn=978-8180280016}}</ref>

==Background==

{{main|Balasaraswati}}

Tanjore Balasaraswati, fondly known as Balasaraswati or Bala, was born on 13 May 1918 in [[Chennai]], then known as Madras. Seven earlier generations of her family worked predominantly in dance and music, Bala started her [[Bharatanatyam]] training at the age of five, under Nattuvanar Kandappa Pillai and made her dancing debut in 1925, at the age of seven, at [[Kancheepuram]] at the [[Kamakshi Amman Temple]].<ref name="timeline">{{cite web|url=http://www.balasaraswati.com/time%20line.htm |title=balasaraswati timeline |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424012918/http://www.balasaraswati.com/time%20line.htm |archive-date=24 April 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kpoursine.com/balasara.htm |title=Balasaraswati (1918-1984) |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313220626/http://www.kpoursine.com/balasara.htm |archive-date=13 March 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> Her mother, Jayammal was a singer who encouraged Bala's musical training and was her accompanist in the dance concerts. Bala continued to do stage performance around the world along with her brothers, [[Mridangam]] player [[T. Ranganathan]] and [[flautist]] [[T. Viswanathan]]. Bala and her famous contemporary [[Rukmini Devi Arundale]] are often called as revolutionary Bharatanatyam dancers.<ref name="baladavid">{{cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/living/balasaraswati-vs-rukmini-arundale-the-grand-bharata-natyam-controversy-134874.html|title=Balasaraswati vs Rukmini Arundale: The grand Bharatanatyam controversy|publisher=[[First Post (India)|First Post]]|date=20 November 2011|access-date=9 January 2013|author=Knight, Douglas M.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217003235/http://www.firstpost.com/living/balasaraswati-vs-rukmini-arundale-the-grand-bharata-natyam-controversy-134874.html|archive-date=17 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> She was awarded the second highest civilian honour given by the [[Government of India]], the [[Padma Vibhushan]], in 1977.<ref name=pa>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954-2007) |publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] |date=30 May 2007 |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410024701/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2009 |df=dmy }}</ref> Bala died on 9 February 1984, at the age of 65.

==Synopsis==

The film begins with the introduction of [[Bharatanatyam]] since its inception. It also explains the various hand gestures, known as [[Mudra]] and Bala demonstrates one of them, "Mayura Mudra" ("Peacock Mudra"). Narrated by [[Satyajit Ray]], the film describes Bala's lineage and her debut performance in 1925, at the age of seven, at [[Kancheepuram]] at the [[Kamakshi Amman Temple]]. A noted [[Sanskrit]] scholar and musicologist explains Bala's dancing style and an Indian dancer, [[Uday Shankar]] talks of his association with Bala.

The film then showcases Bala's "one of the most acclaimed" performance ''[[Krishna Ni Begane Baaro]]'' in the background of the ocean. It mentions that Bala got international acclaim through "The Festival of Arts, [[Edinburgh]]" in 1963, where other Indian artists also performed like [[Sitar]] player [[Ravi Shankar]], classical vocalist [[M. S. Subbulakshmi]] and [[Sarod]] player [[Ali Akbar Khan]]. She performed eight solo recitals at the festival. The film showcases her daily routine with her brothers, [[Mridangam]] player [[T. Ranganathan]] and [[flautist]] [[T. Viswanathan]], and her only daughter Lakshmi Knight, also a Bharatanatyam dancer.

The final segment of the film showcases Bala's solo performance of a pada [[varnam]], which is based on [[Carnatic music]], known as "raagamaalika" (garland of [[raga]]s). For this performance, Bala uses the same pair of anklets she had used for her debut performance at the age of seven.

==Credits==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

===Cast===
* [[Balasaraswati]]
* [[V. Raghavan]]
* [[Uday Shankar]]
* [[V. K. Narayana Menon]]

===Crew===
* Sound designer: S. P. Ramanathan, Sujit Sarkar, David
* Production designer: [[Anil Chowdhury]], Bhanu Ghosh, R. Ramasi
* [[Film laboratory|Laboratory Processing]]: [[Prasad Studios]]
* [[Eastmancolor]]: Gemini Color Lab
* Mixing: Mangesh Desai
{{div col end}}

===Music===
* K. Ramaiah ([[Isai Velalar#Art skills of Nattuvanar|Nattuvanar]])
* M. S. Ramadas (Vocal)
* [[T. Viswanathan]] (Flute)
* T. R. Murthy (Flute)
* V. Tyagarajan (Violin)
* T. Kuppuswamy ([[Mridangam]])
* T. Janardan ([[Tanpura (instrument)|Tambura]])
* [[T. Ranganathan]] (Mridangam)

==Restoration==

After the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] awarded Satyajit Ray an [[Academy Honorary Award|honorary Academy Award]] in 1992 for his lifetime achievements,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/64th.html|title=The 64th Academy Awards (1992)|publisher=oscars.org|date=30 March 1992|access-date=1 January 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923074139/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/64th.html|archive-date=23 September 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> the [[Academy Film Archive]], part of the Academy Foundation which mainly works with the objectives as "preservation, restoration, documentation, exhibition and study of motion pictures", took an initiative to restore and preserve Ray's films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/filmarchive/about/index.html|title=About the Academy Film Archive|publisher=oscars.org|access-date=1 January 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121150136/http://www.oscars.org/filmarchive/about/index.html|archive-date=21 January 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Josef Lindner was appointed as a preservation officer and {{as of|October 2010|lc=yes}} the Academy has successfully restored 19 titles. However, the Academy could not restore ''Bala'' yet as the negative of the film was not found.<ref name="restore">{{cite web|url=http://www.satyajitrayworld.com/raysociety_restoration.php|title=Saving a legacy|access-date=1 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210012733/http://www.satyajitrayworld.com/raysociety_restoration.php|archive-date=10 February 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0074177|Bala}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161104124053/http://www.balasaraswati.com/ Official website for Balasaraswati]

{{Satyajit Ray}}

[[Category:Films directed by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:1976 films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about entertainers]]
[[Category:1970s short documentary films]]
[[Category:Indian short documentary films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about dance]]
[[Category:1976 documentary films]]
[[Category:Bharatanatyam]]
[[Category:Documentary films about women]]

Bala (1976 film) - Revision history

>Citation bot: Alter: isbn. Add: date. Removed parameters. Upgrade ISBN10 to ISBN13. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Abductive | Category:1976 films | via #UCB_Category 387/1137