Pasumarthy Krishnamurthy

🪔 About

Pasumarthy Krishnamurthy, a distinguished figure in Indian classical dance, particularly Kuchipudi, was born on December 11, 1925, in Kuchipudi village to Pasumarthy Ramaiah and Adi Lakshmi. He hailed from an illustrious traditional Kuchipudi family; his maternal grandfather was Chinta Venkatramaiah, known as Yakshagana Pithammaha and one of the Kuchipudi Trinity, while his paternal grandfather, Pasumarthy Seshaiah, was a renowned Kuchipudi Yakshagana artiste. Krishnamurthy was initiated into Kuchipudi dance at the tender age of seven and began performing child roles such as Lava Kusa, Prahalada, and Lohitasaya early in his career. He was particularly adept at female personification roles, with Usha being a favorite. His training was comprehensive, guided by eminent gurus including Chinta Venkataramaiah, Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastry, Vedantam Raghavaiah, and Chinta Ramamurthy. His association with the Chinta Vari Melam in his youth further refined his exquisite portrayal of female characters. Following in the footsteps of other prominent dancers like Vedantam Raghavaiah and Vempati Pedda Satyam, Krishnamurthy migrated to Chennai (then Madras) to pursue a career as a dance director in the film industry. He served as a Dance Director with Vijaya Vauhini studios and choreographed for over 400 films across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi languages during his five-decade tenure. He is credited with popularizing Kuchipudi through cinema by seamlessly integrating traditional items like Javalis, Padams, and Tillanas into film sequences. Known for his exceptional abhinaya (expressive acting) skills and his ability to blend classical and folk elements, his choreographies for films such as 'Malliswari', 'Maha Kavi Kalidasu', 'Mayabazaar', 'Missamma', 'Vinayaka Chavithi', 'Siri Siri Muvva', and 'Meghasandesam' remain popular. Pasumarthy Krishnamurthy passed away in 2004. His centenary birth anniversary was celebrated on December 11, 2025, in Hyderabad, acknowledging his significant contributions to Kuchipudi and Indian cinema. His dancing legacy is carried forward by his daughter-in-law Mohini Pasumarthy and his granddaughters Sunanda Prashanth, Namrata, and Pranita.