Gopi Krishna Biography 
Gopi Krishna was a talented dancer and actor of Indian films. He was a choreographer also. He was the lead actor of V. Shantaram’s classic movie, based on Indian classical dance, Jhanak jhanak payal baaje. He was paired opposite Shantaram’s favourite heroine and his wife – Sandhya. The techni colour film won the Filmfare Best Movie Award for the year 1955. Born in a family of Kathak dancers, he was prolific in Bharatnatyam and Benares Gharana style of Kathak, incorporated with some Kathakali elements. He has also choreographed many Hindi movies like Dastaan, Mehbooba, Umrao Jaan and The Perfect Murder. He was designated with padma shri by Indian government in the year 1975. He has also received Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
Gopi Krishna was born on August 22, 1935 in Kolkata. He was born in a family of Kathak dancers. His aunt Sitara Devi is a Kathak dancer who gave new definitions to Kathak; perhaps the most talented and successful female artist of Kathak. His maternal grandfather Pandit Sukhdev Maharaj was a kathak teacher. He started learning Kathak at the age of 11 from his grandfather. He also learned from kathak exponent Shambhu Maharaj. Later he learnt Bharatnatyam from Mahalingam Pillai and Govind Raj Pillai. He was a chronic asthma patient. Yet through his hard work and dedications he became one of the great artists during the decades of 1960’s and 1970’s. He received the title of "Nataraj", at the All Bengal Music Conference at the age of 15.
As a film actor, Jhanak jhanak payal baaje was his debut movie. This movie still stands as a classic, for its deep mention on Indian classical dance forms. As a choreographer his debut movie was Saqi in the year 1952. Gopi was only 17 then, thus becoming one of the youngest choreographers of Indian film industry. He was a part of Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe which toured many foreign countries. He set a world record for the longest continuous Kathak dance at 9 hours and 20 minutes. He died on February 18, 1994 following a heart attack. His daughter Shampa Sonthalia is a well known dancer and she has won the fifth season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, reality show on dance.
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Updated: January 08, 2014
