Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other celebrities like Anupam Kher and Adnan Sami have condoled the death of Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj. The legend died at 83.
Modi shared a throwback picture with the legend on Twitter and wrote in Hindi, "Deeply saddened by the demise of Pandit Birju Maharaj ji, who gave Indian dance artform a special recognition across the world. His passing is an irreparable loss to the entire art world. My condolences to his family and fans in this hour of grief. om Shanti!"
Anupam Kher shared a video to remember Birju Maharaj from his days at the National School of Drama. The actor revealed that watching the Kathak maestro perform was always a 'magical experience'. He also talked about how he would try to understand his facial expressions as his “delicate details of acting were amazing”.
{{/usCountry}}Anupam Kher shared a video to remember Birju Maharaj from his days at the National School of Drama. The actor revealed that watching the Kathak maestro perform was always a 'magical experience'. He also talked about how he would try to understand his facial expressions as his “delicate details of acting were amazing”.
{{/usCountry}}“He (Birju Maharaj) used to tell me , ‘teri aankho me bahut shararat hai. (there is a lot of naughtiness in your eyes),’” Anupam said.
Singer Adnan Sami called him a genius and tweeted, "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. #BirjuMaharaj."
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared the press note shared by the Maharaj family on Twitter and wrote, “One of Kathak’s greatest ambassadors is gone. RIP Panditji.”
Also read: Deepika Padukone trained with Birju Maharaj for Bajirao Mastani song
Birju Maharaj's granddaughter Ragini informed ANI: “He was under treatment for the past month. He had sudden breathlessness at around 12:15 - 12:30 am last night; we brought him to the hospital within 10 minutes, but he passed away.”
Remembering her grandfather, Ragini also spoke about his love for gadgets. "He loved gadgets, always wanted to buy them at the earliest. He always said, if not a dancer, he'd have been a mechanic, his image in my mind will always be smiling," she said.