‘Riddles in the Dark’, a film that blends dance, theatre and Tolkien

Ainesh Madan, a Bengaluru-based artiste, describes himself as a “learner, dancer, teacher”. Having worked as a dancer-choreographer overseas and in India, Ainesh has now come up with 20-minute film, Riddles in the Dark, which he describes as a physical theatre work inspired by the character of Sméagol/ Gollum from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, written by JRR Tolkien.

“The choreography is designed for one dancer and captures the evolution of the pivotal character through six different scenes. Each scene is based on a critical juncture in the life of the character,” says the dancer, who is also a co-founder of the 206 Dance Collective.

The film is made by a four-member team, including Ainesh. The others are Anushka Meenakshi and Sachin Gurjale (direction) and Joshua Sailo (rehearsal director). The film features Ainesh and is conceptualised and choreographed by him. The dancer adds that the film is supported by the ThinkArts Grant 2022 and 206 Dance Collective and he received a grant from ThinkArts for this project.

“Thinkarts, based in Kolkata, supports work that is focussed on children. The film was entirely shot at Shoonya Centre for Performing Arts, Bengaluru, and our aim is to inspire children to engage with performing arts and pick up books such as The Lord Of The Rings or The Hobbit and read and discover the unlimited universe of these stories.”

A still from the film
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Why not do the same with Indian literature, like the Panchatantra? Ainesh responds that he intends to do just that in future, but for starters, The Lord of The Rings it is.

The film will have its virtual premiere on September 10 at 5 pm and on September 11 at 11 am and 5 pm.

To register, click on https://bit.ly/TAshows