Awards & Reviews

In Kismet with Kali, Shruti does not regurgitate qualities of the goddess in dance. Rather, she very vulnerably blurs the identity between Kali and her own experiences with motherhood. This work took me on her very personal journey, and all of us audience members felt privileged to witness it.

Shruti’s personification in movement was deeply captivating. Kismet with Kali made me stop and reflect in a way that stayed with me long after the performance ended. Through her storytelling, I felt both the fragility and the immense strength that lives within us. It reminded me that while the journey toward understanding ourselves can feel solitary, we do not arrive there alone—we need each other along the way. Thank you, Shruti, for sharing Kismet and for inviting us into such a powerful and vulnerable exploration.

When I was watching it, I was reminded of my own struggles as an adult who didn’t know how to let go, didn’t have self-acceptance (also, I think to a large extent that’s me even now), when expectations did not match my reality. In the process, we often turn to God because we need someone giving us hope. I have personally gone from blind faith- agnostic- miso-theistic- believing in a superpower once again. I think the last act was extremely powerful. After asking all the right questions, which were absolutely thought-provoking, I thought you concluded by saying that all that matters is you believe in yourself and feel grateful for your blessings

Kismet with Kali for me was a deeply layered experience. Shruti's deep embodiment of the story and the emotions made me hold my breath, ache, and well up for the little girl that lives on inside all of us. Even without a personal history of childhood trauma, I found myself connecting to that universal longing for a sense of safety and belonging. At its core, this work for me was a reflection on finding love and joy within yourself. About learning from the past and trying to do better for the future. The way Kali weaved in and out of the story, the way the scenes unfolded, and the changing soundscape kept me fully engaged from start to end.

For me, the biggest takeaway was - I thought Kismet with Kali had a really great balance in sharing a personal story while also being a work that can be experienced as art. Like the work holds space for emotional complexity while allowing the audience to engage without feeling directed. I find that to be a very difficult balance to strike, and I felt you did amazingly with that!