It’s a Tiger! No, It’s a Tigress- And It’s Sushma Raj, the ‘Ponnu Pili’ of Udupi

It’s a Tiger! No, It’s a Tigress- And It’s Sushma Raj, the ‘Ponnu Pili’ of Udupi

Mangaluru: Meet the 23-year-old lass from Udupi, Sushma Raj who along with her professional ‘tiger dancer’ dad, dances to the tunes of tasse and dolu which has taken the net by storm, and receiving tonnes of hits on social media. Imagine a lone lady dancer attired in a tiger outfit dancing amidst other men tiger dancers, and enthralling the crowd and receiving loud applauds-that’s amazing! Sushma’s father, Ashok Raj Kadabettu, has been a tiger dancer for nearly 40 years, and he still dances with his troupe named “Ashok Raj Kadanettu Team” during Krishnashtami, and other popular Hindu festivals- and Sushma the lone “Tigress” joins in the pack. Sushma Raj, who is more popular as the sole female tiger dancer in Karavali.

Ashok Raj became very popular when a video of his daughter Sushma Raj dancing to the tunes of tasse and dolu (traditional percussion instruments) along with her father rocked the social media, when she was 20 years old, and studying in IInd PUC. The video went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp, and was shared in the name of ‘Ponnu Pili’ or Female Tiger!. “The video was shot by some unknown person, and was recorded when I performed on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami at my house. Before that we offered puja to the Lord. About 500 people had gathered and I am not sure who uploaded it. The video had over 50 lakh views” says Sushma.

Every one from Sushma’s family, including her grandfather, has been an artiste. “We have grown seeing teams performing around us. And as kids we would paint our bodies too. My father has been my support system. Since childhood my father has been encouraging us to pursue the dance despite it being a male-dominated art form. I can even perform a few stunts and I have proved women are on par with men when it comes to stamina. I want to take this art to the next level. My dream is to promote tiger dance in a big way and take it to the national and international level. We performed in India and abroad and participated in reality shows on national television. Some of my cousins who work in Mumbai come down for the festival just to perform pili-vesha. (Tiger dance)” adds Sushma Raj.

 L-R: Sushma Raj seen with her dad-Ashok Raj; Mom-Radha Raj; Sister- Preethi; Brother- Bhagawandas; and her niece, Nishmitha

Sushma rose to fame on the small screen after she participated in the Kannada reality show “Indian”. She has acted in two movies, ‘Tube-light’ and ‘Mathish’. She is also a professional belly dancer, and has been associated with a Kannada music channel and acted in yet another Kannada reality show. She has modelled for quite a few fashion and automobile companies, one of them being TVS. Recalling her story and sharing it with Team Mangalorean Sushma said, ” Me and my sister when we were aged four and six, there was a surprise call made on the loudspeaker during a Krishnashtami celebration at Udupi Sri Krishna Temple, that both me and my sister should come onto the stage and dance along with my dad’s tiger dance team which was performing that day. This was the first time that me and my sister danced in public. Prior to this, we had only danced within the confines of our home as we looked out of the window to match in tandem with the dancers outside our home. The exhilaration of hearing loud applause and the whistles still rings loud in my mind.”

Then came trouble for these two sisters, when hate mongers started to spread rumours and pass comments like ’How can you allow girls into a male bastion? How can you make them dance on the streets. We don’t appreciate this’ -these comments were directly hinted at their parents. But luckily, both sisters were still supported by their parents and relatives, even though people made unwanted comments. “My father who has been engaged in this profession for three decades, taught me all the tough moves which even male tigers find tough to replicate. Being a judo and karate expert, it was he who first introduced acrobatics and stunts into tiger dance. Unfortunately my sister was affected by all the remarks and gossip spread by people, and she withdrew into her shell,” said Sushma.

No matter what, Sushma has come a long way since then, and there has been no looking back for the dance art that she developed since her young age. Relatives and people have eventually stopped talking bad about her, and she has been getting enormous support day by day from her fans. She says, “Unlike popular perception, I’m treated with much dignity by the male dancers. They give me space and never get close for comfort. A woman can truly hold her own in any arena and I’m the proof of it. My dream now is to form an all-girls tiger group. In fact, my father has been mentoring a group of married women in the art of tiger dance. One day, we will all dance together,” says Sushma with courage and proudness.

“Many folks have asked me that Tiger dance involves intense painting on a bare body, and how do I go with it. But as a girl, I’ll have to do things differently so I wear a cropped lycra top and shorts over which the painting is done. My father is the only one who paints me and I prefer it that way. I don’t want to give up the art that I have learned since I was a small girl, and want to take this art to a greater level- and my main intention is to perform tiger dance in foreign countries, either Gulf or Western nations. I am looking forward to that proud moment, and I have a feeling that I will be performing on a foreign soil in the nearest future. Wish me luck”, signs off Sushma Raj, after a long interview over the phone.

Sushma Raj is the proud daughter of Ashok Raj Kadabettu, who is an artiste, and Radha Raj, a homemaker. She has a sister named Preethi currently doing her KAS, and her brother, Baghavandas is employed in a private sector. Sushma is presently pursuing her studies in Animation in Engineering, after completing her PUC. This multi-talented lass, Sushma, has not only made a name for herself in small screen with reality show like “Indian”, she is also a VJ in Raj Music, a popular music channel in Karnataka.

She has also entered the big screen with Duniya Vijay starrer “Maastigudi“, a film which was in news recently due to death of two actors Anil and Uday, where Sushma acts in a negative role. Speaking about her role in this movie, Sushma said, “I play a negative character in the film. I am part of a tiger smuggling gang. I have a fight scene with Duniya Vijay Sir. The scene is the main highlight for the film and I am sure it’s loved by one and all.”

Team Mangalorean wishes Sushma Raj all success in her endeavors, and may her talent as a lone Karavali “Ponnu Pili Dancer” entertain and enthrall crowds, not only in DK, State or India, but also overseas. This “Ponnu Pili” simply rocks- You Go Girl!