Pandit Birju Maharaj no more: Anupam Kher, Kareena Kapoor & other B'wood stars pay tribute

Noted Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj, the doyen of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak, breathed his last on January 17 at his Delhi residence. The legendary artist passed away at night at an age of 83. The legendary classical performer was the recipient of Padma Vibhushan. Soon after his demise, several Bollywood stars took to social media and mourned the demise of the dancer while offering their condolence. 

Pandit Birju Maharaj's grandson Swaransh Mishra confirmed the news of the legendary dancer's demise through a social media post.

"With profound grief and sorrow, we inform the sad and untimely demise of our most beloved member of the family, Pt. Birju Maharaj Ji," he wrote in the note.

"The noble soul left for his heavenly abode on 17th Jan 2022. Pray for the departed soul... Grief-stricken: Maharaj family", he added. Actors like Anupam Kher, Subhash Ghai, and more also offered their tribute.

Bollywood stars mourn Pandit Birju Maharaj's death

Anupam Kher took to Twitter and recorded a video, expressing his grief over the demise. The actor recalled his early career memories of the kathak dancer and said,

"It’s very sad to know about Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj’s death. There are certain people whom you meet in your life journey and they leave an impression in your heart. I remember when I was in the National School of Drama, Birju Ji used to be the director of the Kathak academy just adjacent to NSD’s building. Meeting him frequently during my at NSD was just amazing,” Kher said.

Adding further, he said, "There have been times when I have seen him performing in the classrooms which have turned out to be a magical experience for me. Though I learned acting from NSD, one thing I can say is that the intricacies involved in acting like facial expressions and that emotional touch, this I learned from Pandit Birju Maharaj.”

Bharatnatyam dancer and actor turned politician Hema Malini expressed her sorrow over the loss and revealed how his ghunghroos were on his ankles until his last breath.

"The nation mourns the passing of a true legend, Shri Birju Maharaj, Kathak exponent par excellence. 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 & will miss his presence on the firmament of dance." 

Ace producer-director Subhash Ghai took to Twitter and penned his heartfelt condolence. He shared a picture of the dancer and took a stroll down memory lane while recalling his college days, where he learned from the kathak maestro.

"My first learning from Kathak dance maestro was in my college youth festival when he expressed a romantic conversation between lord Krishna n Radha thru his two eyes talking. I learned ‘DANCE means body but soul is in eyes. That’s y he was a Jagat guru in kathakWoman dancing...RIP BIRJU SIR .” 

On the other hand, director Madhur Bhandarkar reacted to a news portal, giving a gist about the dancer's life journey. "He has inspired many generations. #OmShanti Folded hands #panditBirjumaharaj." 

Singer-actor Sophie Choudry got emotional while paying tribute, as he said, "How does one pay tribute to the legend, the institution, the inspiration? Thank you Panditji for making the performing arts so accessible & loved. A true artist. The greatest loss. May his soul RIP."

Pandit Birju Maharaj’s granddaughter Ragini Maharaj recently opened up about his cause of death. 
Kareena Kapoor and Malaika Arora shared similar posts by reacting to the tragic news. They shared a news portals' post on their Instagram stories while offering condolences. 

As per a report by ANI, Ragini Maharaj revealed Birju Maharaj was under treatment for the past month. From around 12: 15 to 12:30 am, on January 17, 2022, he felt sudden breathlessness. Despite being immediately taken to the hospital, the maestro could not survive. She said, "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 mins, but he passed away."

IMAGE: Instagram/SubhashGhai1/PTI