RIP Pandit Birju Maharaj: Madhuri Dixit, Hema Malini, Subhash Ghai And Other Celebs Remember Late Kathak Maestro

RIP Pandit Birju Maharaj: Subhash Ghai, Madhuri Dixit, Hema Malini, Anupam Kher, Bhansali Productions and others mourn the demise of late Kathak maestro. Check posts.

RIP Pandit Birju Maharaj: The living legend of Kathak, Birju Maharaj, passed away on Sunday. He had suffered a massive heart attack. He was 83. One of the first Bollywood personalities to tweet his personal tribute to Pandit Birju Maharaj was the veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai. Madhuri Dixit, Hema Malini, Anupam Kher, Bhansali Productions and others also took to their social media handles to mourn the demise of late Kathak maestro.

Pandit Birju Maharaj had choreographed two famous tracks of contemporary cinema Kahe Chhed Mohe, filmed on Madhuri Dixit in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Devdas in 2002, and Mohe Rang Do Laal, which was picturised on Deepika Padukone, in Bajirao Mastani in 2015. Both were Sanjay Leela Bhansali films bearing his unmistakable stamp of grandeur and languid storytelling. Describing him as an “incredible talent” and an “inspiration for many”, Bhansali Productions said in its heartfelt tribute: “We’d just like to say, thank you, for being a part of our journey and for allowing us to be a small part of yours. It goes without saying but dancing to Kathak will never be the same again.”

Madhuri Dixit remembered the lighter side of Maharaj ji, whose hallmark was his infectious smile. The actress tweeted: “He was a legend but had a childlike innocence. He was my guru but also my friend. He taught me the intricacies of dance and abhinaya but never failed to make me laugh at his funny anecdotes.”

 

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Anupam Kher was a student at the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi when Pandit Birju Maharaj was the director of the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Kathak Kendra. In a video message, Anupam Kher recalled how he would occasionally run into Maharaj ji on the road and the maestro left a lasting impression on the neophyte. “When you are trying to understand life … when you are at an impressionable age … there are some people whom you hold close to your heart. Maharaj ji was one of them”, Kher said.

 

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Remembering the days when he was organising a college festival where Maharaj ji was performing, Subhash Ghai remembered how he “expressed a romantic conversation” between Lord Krishna and Radha with his eyes doing the talking. “I learnt ‘DANCE’ means the body but the soul is in the eyes. That’s why he was a Jagat Guru in Kathak,” tweeted Ghai.

Among the cultural personalities who mourned the passing away of Maharaj ji was the sarod maestro, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Saheb, who tweeted that it marked the end of an era for Indian dance and Kathak. “For me it’s been a personal loss,” Khan Saheb wrote. “He was loved immensely by my family and his memories live in our hearts forever. The heavens will dance for him today and everyday!”

Describing Maharaj ji as “a true legend” and “Kathak exponent par excellence”, the Bollywood veteran and Lok Sabha MP from Mathura, Hema Malini, tweeted: “His ghungroos were on his ankles till he breathed his last. I always admired and respected him as a giant of the medium of Kathak and will miss his presence on the firmament of dance.”

Adnan Sami said in a tweet: “Extremely saddened by the news about the passing away of Legendary Kathak Dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj ji. We have lost an unparalleled institution in the field of the performing arts. He has influenced many generations through his genius. May he rest in peace.”

Birju Maharaj was the son of the exponent of the Lucknow gharana, Jagannath Maharaj, better known as Acchan Maharaj, whom he lost when he was just nine. His uncles were the renowned Shambhu Maharaj and Lacchu Maharaj. He taught at the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Kathak Kendra, both in Delhi, from where he retired as director in 1998.

May his soul rest in peace.