Methil Devika
Methil Devika is an Indian classical dancer and research supervisor. She was a Senior Research Associate at ISRO's Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, in 2023 working on an arts-integrated-advance-science project ideated by her.
She is currently doing Kerala Chief minister's Nava Kerala Post Doctoral Fellowship, conducting research on Temple Terrain as a New Performance Space for the Woman Dancer: A Study on How the Modern Woman Reinvents her Art in Esoteric Spaces.
She has made her feature film debut with the Malayalam film Kadha Innuvare directed by Vishnu Mohan, a national film award-winning director.
Early life
Devika was born in Dubai, UAE, to N. Rajagopalan and Methil Rajeswari. She has two elder sisters, Radhika Pillai and Methil Renuka, who is an editor at Forbes. Renowned writer Methil Radhakrishnan is her uncle. Writer V. K. N.'s wife, Vedavathi, is her aunt.Devika was educated at The Indian High School, Dubai; St. Thomas Convent School, Palakkad; and Mercy College, Palakkad, before obtaining a degree in Commerce from Government Victoria College, Palakkad.
Devika did her M.A. in Performing Arts at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, with a first rank. She then earned an MBA from the University of Madras with first rank. She has also completed a Ph.D. in Mohiniyattam from the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli.
Performances
Devika has given solo performances in dance festivals in India, including Khajuraho International Festival.She has performed at the Madras Music Academy, Mudra Festival and Nishagandhi Dance Festival. She has performed in Boston, New York City, Texas, Philadelphia, Laos, Chiang Mai, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Documentary
In 2018, Devika created the short film documentary Sarpatatwam or The Serpent Wisdom. She set the lyrics to music, choreographed and performed the dance, also serving as co-director and co-producer. The film was voted into the contention list of the Academy Awards in 2018. It premiered at the Prestige Theatres, LA and was also screened at various international theatres. It was also the opening film at the National Film Archive of India, Pune.Her work Ahalya which was commissioned by Sampradaya Dance Company also opened to world premiere in May 2021. It was based on reflections in solitude done during COVID lockdown and the music and dance being composed by herself.
Her dance based short film ‘The Crossover’, that amalgamates Indian Sign Language with hastha mudras of Indian classical dance was screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival, 2024. A research article authored by her based on the above performance creation has also been published by Taylor and Francis.
Awards
Devika's archival film was voted into the Academy Awards Contention List 2018. She won two national awards. She received the state honours Kshetrakala Akademy Award 2020 and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award 2011.She received the Best Dancer Award of the Mid‐Year Fest from Madras Music Akademy in 2016. She is empanelled into SPIC‐MACAY in 2010. She is empanelled artiste for Mohiniyattam at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Her recent award was the Dakshinamurthy Puraskar which she received in 2022
along with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Sivamani.
Devika is also the recipient of 'the Avanavan Kadamba award, 2023' by Kavalam Samskriti for her contribution to dance and theatre. She has received the award from Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the legendary film maker from Kerala.