A Familiar Love- A Radhakrishn Retelling

17. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖱𝖾𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌𝖺𝗅

The first rehearsal day proved to be a whirlwind of emotions for Radha, especially given the structure of the performances set- it comprised four distinct performances. Each performance was meticulously designed to encapsulate a pivotal moment in the lore of RadhaKrishna, offering a journey through the spectrum of their legendary love story. The first was the festival of Janamastami to celebrate the birth of lord Krishna, the second performance was dedicated to the enchanting raasleela under the moonlight, a dance that symbolised their eternal bond and affection. Third was a narration of their painful separation in which they had to put their acting skills to use. To conclude on a high note, the fourth and final performance was a colourful depiction of Holi, the festival of colours, symbolising the joy, playfulness of their eternal bond. However, Radha found herself grappling with an unexpected distraction: Krishn.

As the choreographer detailed the steps, they stood facing each other; his smile was broad and teasing, her expression tight with irritation. As they learned the steps and danced, every touch of his felt hauntingly familiar, and left her battling frustration. Internally, Radha maintained that she was dancing purely for the performance's sake, a mantra to keep her focused amidst conflicting feelings.

Most of the steps came naturally to them, their movements were instinctive, almost as if they had danced together in another lifetime. The choreographer, observing their natural harmony on the dance floor, was thrilled. "You two dance like you've been doing it together for years," he commented, pleased with their seamless interaction.The comment made Radha momentarily aware of just how fast they fell into this seamless rhythm, how their bodies seemed to communicate in a language of their own, one that was fluent in the expressions of dance and deep down, in the language of an old, almost forgotten love.

The choreography for the Janmashtami scene, which required the boys to construct a human pyramid to depict the traditional pot-breaking ceremony, proved to be a challenging task but at the end of the session they had progressed quite a bit. Happy with their progress, the choreographer decided to push them further by adding the actual music to their final run-through of the day. The music played and soon enough they both found themselves in a perfect rhythm, executing the steps perfectly but Radha's face remained almost expressionless which the choreographer noted and decided to work on later.

As the session neared its close, Radha found herself performing turns around Krishn. With each circle she drew around him, her sense of the room—the mirrors, the barres, the worn wooden floor—began to fade away. In those moments, wrapped in the melody and lost in the dance, Radha experienced a disconnection from her surroundings. It was as if the walls of the practice room dissolved, leaving her and Krishn alone in a timeless, boundless space. When the music stopped, she was snapped back to reality. She stumbled, catching herself quickly. To mask her disorientation, she blamed it on the dizziness caused by her rapid spinning. She took deep breaths, trying to balance herself, placing a hand on her head as a momentary anchor. She glanced at Krishn, who was watching her with a smile. A smile that, as always, held an all knowing factor which had always irked her.

People began to disperse and she had just sat down to process what she had felt when she heard his voice ring across the room.

"Harshali, you dance so well, it's hard to believe you didn't get the lead role."

The words landed sharply, breaking through her introspective state. His lack of tact—or perhaps his deliberate choice to voice such a statement within earshot of Radha, the current lead—struck her as a glaring breach of sensitivity. It wasn't just the words themselves that stung; it was the context, the setting, and the timing. The sting of his words was doubled by the implication that perhaps she was not deserving of her role.

All was forgotten now, she felt angry and hurt and quickly made her way outside. Aanya, sensing the shift in Radha's mood, hurried to keep up, concerned for her friend.