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Artistes from the Isai Velalar community (devadasi), traditionally attached to temples, made a major contribution to the early talkie cinema by providing much of the content, drawn from their traditional repertoire, thereby deciding the style of Tamil cinema. This development came about by a historical coincidence when the devadasi system was abolished and the artistes of the community - dancers, dance teachers and singers - had to seek a livelihood elsewhere. They first moved onto the commercial stage and from there into cinema. The song and dance component of Tamil cinema owes its origin largely to the contribution of artistes from the devadasi community who worked in early talkies.
('Devadasi influence in Tamil cinema' by Theodore Baskaran, Frontline, Oct 11, 2019)

There are many pramanas or evidences in the Natya Sastra to convey that Bharatamuni was a contemporary of Valmiki and that Natya Sastra was composed at the same time as the Ramayana.
- Padma Subrahmanyam
('The everlasting relevance of Natya Sastra' by VR Devika, The Hindu Friday Review, Dec 6, 2019)



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