Critical reception
"There are many perfect performers; but very few who can create magic and still less who dance like the gods. Parshwanath Upadhye belongs to the latter class. He has an electrifying persona and stage presence and there is a vein of spirituality that runs through his dance whatever be the content." [15]
-Ranee Kumar, The Hindu
"Upadhye’s interpretation of a devotee’s adoration of Shiva, more specifically at the famous Chidambaram temple, was a sight to behold. His performance was both athletic and graceful. His high kicks, leaps and knee turns did not come at the cost of nuances such as beautifully articulated mudras or clarity of movement in his adavus (basic bharatanatyam dance steps). To top it all off, he kept up the intensity of the dance until the very end, building a sense of crescendo. There were quite a few audible sighs in the audience, who were clearly moved when the devotee was granted audience by Lord Shiva." [10]
-Aparita Bhandari, The Dance Current, Canada's Dance Magazine
"We know Parshwanath Upadhye as a Bharatanatyam soloist from Bangalore[...]. What we were not aware of is that he is a choreographer, and a brilliant one at that. At Kartik Fine Arts, ‘Hara,’ by Parshwanath’s Punyah Dance Company, was a stunning 55-minute production that combined precision in dance movements, perfect timing, layered music, deft visualisation and effective lighting." [14]
- Rupa Srikanth, The Hindu
"For a dancer with a keen sense of rhythm like Parshwanath Upadhye, there is almost no equal in the field. He is the uncrowned prince of the Bharatanatyam scene today and his Facebook page has more followers than those of some minor Bollywood stars" [16]
-Veejay Sai, culture critic
"Parshwanath Upadhye was remarkable both for his striking combination of tandava energy with gentle lasya grace. His dancing demonstrated high technical virtuosity in movement along with a fluidity, precision, and beautiful expression." [17]
-Dr. Ketu H Katrak, Professor of Drama, University of California, Irvine
"Parshwanath's choreography lacks dramatic arc. His face is not emotive and he masks this cleverly with great physicality. Beautifully executed with interesting exits and entrances, the music is typically BENGALURU LITE - a soft-light music-wafting of Carnatic ragas. Against this, the trio's nonstop movement seemed to be a tad too monotonous. The precision, dynamic partnering and team work were admirable. However, after 50 minutes of this endless movement, I longed for some quiet and measured stillness. [18] .
-Dr Anita Ratnam, Jan 1, 2019, Anita says...,
"Parshwanath Upadhye needs to bring more gravitas into his Bharatanatyam abhinaya, than the present superficial mime narratives that seem to be his choice. More like theatre, he keeps spinning narratives which lack in-depth treatment, as seen in Baro Krishnaiyyaa and the other composition devoted to Goddess Chamudeswari, where the over spun Kalidasa episode became more like a digression. The starting Hamsadhwani invocation from the Mysore Bharatanatyam repertoire and the Balamurali Krishna Gati Bhed Priya Tillana in Adi talam showed the dancer’s grasp over nritta. With his Yoga expertise, Upadhye moves with ease. [19]
- Leela Venkataraman, Renowned Dance Critic"
The above review appeared in the article "Dance practitioners churn out issues through deliberations". The Asian Age. India: The Asian Age. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
"While the theme was good, several aspects of the presentation required thinking. The whole piece was relying heavily on the Sanskrit text and less on dance. The actual dance sequences were far and few. Cluttering too many episodes with a text heavy performance also seemed to slow down the energy of the presentation. [20]
- Veejay Sai, culture critic, Nov 6, 2017, Celebrating the Nartak"
