Maanu

About Maanu

Maanu is an Indian dancer. She briefly acted as an actress after making her acting debut with Saran's Kadhal Mannan (1998), she opted against an acting career and continued pursuing her passion as a dancer by setting up a performing arts company and featuring in dance troupes worldwide. She resurfaced in 2011, when she aided actor Rajinikanth's recovery from ill health in Singapore,[1][2] and returned to acting with Enna Satham Indha Neram (2014). Maanu was born and brought up in Guwahati, Assam and began dancing by the age of 4. She completed her Bisharad in Manipuri and Kathak dance under the guidance of Gurumoni Sinha Singh, Guru Arabinda Kalita and Guru Hajuwari in 1992 and 1995 respectively. She then extensively trained in Bharathanatyam and performed her arangetram in 1995 under the supervision of her guru, Padma Hargopal. After embarking on a national dance tour, her passion for dancing brought her to Chennai to gain training under the Dhananjayans.[3] After seeing her perform during a dance show, actor Vivek recommended her to director Saran, who then offered her the lead role in his directorial debut Kadhal Mannan (1998). Maanu initially turned down the opportunity, but signed on six months later after her parents consented.[4] Despite the film's success, Maanu opted not to continue as an actress and set up her own dance company, Maanu Artz. She also participated with dance troupes worldwide, being the lead player in Sivagami, Living Tree, Madhavi and Konjum Salangai, a classical dance programme.[4] Lahori singer/songwriter 'Maanu' Y A I N