Manju Bhargavi

🪔 About

Manju Bhargavi is a highly acclaimed Indian classical Kuchipudi dancer and actress, renowned for her profound contributions to both traditional dance and cinema. Born Manju Bhargavi, her parents, originally from Andhra Pradesh, settled in Madras (now Chennai). She commenced her formal Kuchipudi training at the tender age of nine at the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai, under the tutelage of the legendary Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, who was instrumental in elevating Kuchipudi to a recognized classical dance form. She gave her debut performance at the age of 13. Throughout her illustrious career, Manju Bhargavi has delivered over 1600 solo and ballet performances across India and internationally, including in the USA, UK, Canada, Europe, Singapore, Africa, Gulf Countries, and Sri Lanka. In 1978, she formed her own dance troupe. She has graced the stage in lead roles in ballets choreographed by her Guru, portraying characters such as Lord Venkateswara in 'Padmavathi Srinivasa Kalyanam,' Sri Krishna in 'Sri Krishna Parijatham,' Siva in 'Harivilasam,' and the iconic Satyabhama in 'Bhama Kalapam.' Beyond performing, she has also choreographed acclaimed productions like 'Sri Lalitha Nrityarchana' and 'Shambo Sivam Shankarim.' As an actress, Manju Bhargavi is widely recognized for her performances in the Telugu blockbusters *Sankarabharanam* (1980) and *Nayakudu Vinayakudu* (1980), which were released just a day apart in the same year. Her filmography also includes notable appearances in *Gaalipataalu* (1974), *Krishnaveni* (1974), *Soggadu* (1975), *Yamagola* (1977), *President Peramma* (1979), *Sagara Sangamam* (1983), *Pournami* (2006), *Sakthi* (2011), and her Kannada debut in *Hatrick Hodi Maga* (2008). She has also acted in the popular TV serial *Thangam*. Manju Bhargavi is dedicated to propagating Kuchipudi through her dance school, "NatyaVedam," located in Bangalore, where she mentors aspiring dancers. She serves as the Chairperson for the Kuchipudi Syllabus Committee, Government of Karnataka, and is a Senate Member for Performing Arts at the All Women's University, Tirupathi. She also harbors ambitions to establish a Kuchipudi Research Center in Bangalore. Awards & Honours: NATYARANI, NATYA MAYURI, Sri Vedantam Jaganath Sharma Vamsee Award (1991), Uttam Sahiti Murthy, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (2004), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2019), Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam Jayanthi Puraskaram (2023).