Dancing as a child since before she hit her teens, Zareen Panna became a household name in no time. Born in Shimla, India in 1947, Panna is one of the most celebrated classical dancers of the country.

In a conversation with Dawn, Panna spoke about her journey in the world of classical dance, the milestones in her career, meeting legendary artistes from across the world, the current state of classical dance in the country, which is very much rooted in this part of the world, and much more.

Reminiscing about her early life, parents and introduction to dance, the veteran performer said her family migrated to Karachi in 1947. “I started learning dance at the age of five from Ustad Ghulam Hussain (Patiala Gharana), Ustad Shado Maharaj (Dehli Gharana), Rafi Anwar, Siddique Samrat and Madam Azuri.”

Her mother wanted her to become a doctor, but her undeniable love for dance kept her steady on her chosen path. Her father, Nawab Khalil, was an adviser in the court of Maharaja of Patiala. She had no inclination towards academics and her sole passion and purpose in life was dance, hence studied only till matriculation from an Islamia Girls College in Karachi.

She says she has been immensely inspired by eminent Indian Kathak dancer, Sitara Devi.

About achieving national and international recognition through her dance, Panna told Dawn that she has performed in front of several world leaders. “My first performance at the Presidency was in front of the then president Iskander Mirza, who highly appreciated me. The next time I performed there was during the reign of General Ayub Khan after which in 1958 I was awarded with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz. The other leaders who have witnessed my performances live were former prime ministers Feroze Khan Noon and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah.”

The legendary dancer has also performed in China at the palace of Mao Tse-tung as well as participated in a cultural festival in Moscow four times. She was also conferred with the Pride of Performance award in 2018.

Mentioning her illustrious film journey comprising at least 50 films, Panna said her most memorable moments were shooting for the film, Kalyug, in the 1960s, which was a joint production among Pakistan, India, Germany, France and Italy. Directed by Roberto, parts of Kalyug were shot here in Pakistan and some in Italy. The other name of the film was The Moon of Dussehra, she added.

“After an Italian delegation visited Pakistan regarding the film, I went to Italy for its shooting where Indian actor I.S. Johar asked me to come along with him for he wanted to introduce me to a great actor. When I went with him, to my utter surprise and excitement, Anthony Quinn was sitting there – he was in Italy for a film shoot. I had just watchedGuns of Nevron so I was really excited to see him.”

Later on Quinn’s request, the two danced together. During her visit, Panna also met with global icons Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida at their homes.

Mentioning hermost popular movies, Panna listed out Aanchal, Behen Bhai, Laakhon Fasany and Raat Kay Rahia mong others.

The star dancer said she had been associated with the Shaukat Khanum Trust for many years where she taught dance to cancer-ridden children and produced plays for them. “I have a long association with the Pakistan National Council of Arts as well where I served as a classical dance choreographer for 20 years,” she added. Currently, she is teaching classical dance at the Lahore Arts Council’s Academy of Performing Arts.

When asked what measures needed to be taken to promote classical dance and other performing arts in the country, Zareen Panna said the government should establish a national institute for all performing arts, including a wing for classical dance. She added that the kind of dances promoted through commercial theatre has distorted the image of classical dance.

She was also of the view that the government should build residential colonies and allot houses to artistes on easy installments, so they could survive in these difficult times when Covid-19 has hit hard all the sectors, including cultural events.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2021