Mala Murli, Bharatanatyam danseuse, singer and nattuvanar, has inherited a rich legacy from her family; the legacy of Dance...from her paternal aunt, Guru Rajee.

After her mother passed away in Hyderabad when she was just a child, Mala was brought to Mumbai, where she was lovingly brought up and trained in the Bharatanatyam idiom by her aunt. Fortunate to have undergone vigorous training in her formative years, Mala presented her Arangetram in 1986. Subsequently, she gave a number of solo performances that brought her to the public eye. She also performed lead roles in group programmes of Nritya Geethanjali. She often accompanied her guru in lecture-demonstrations, on various aspects of the dance.

Gifted with an attractive stage presence and an extremely mobile face, that could effectively portray every nuance of Abhinaya, Mala was lauded by the press, critics and connoisseurs of dance. She is the recepient of the Sringar Mani award, presented by the Sur-Singar Samsad. She has performed for prestigious sabhas in leading metropolis, like the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Tata Theatre, Nadalaya and others in Mumbai, for cultural festivals in Chennai, New Delhi and the C.P.C., apart from various private organisations. She is a graded artiste of Doordarshan, New Delhi.

After her marriage in 1991, Mala shifted to New Delhi, where, with the encouragement of her family, she conducts classes, imparting training in Bharatanatyam. In Mumbai, she has assisted her guru in training handicapped children, for the ISRH, the Indian Society for the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped. Having systematically learnt the art of Nattuvangam, the Natya Shastra and Carnatic music, she is often invited by performing artistes in Delhi, to conduct their dance programmes, which she does with aplomb. A talented dancer and singer, Mala’s forte is Abhinaya.