Madhuri reminds me of Waheeda Rehman: Birju Maharaj

May 31, 2013

Birju_MaharajNew Delhi, May 31: For legendary Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj, actress Madhuri Dixit is the best dancer in Bollywood after veteran star Waheeda Rehman.

"Madhuri is an excellent dancer. She is in the same league with actresses like Waheeda Rehman and Meena Kumari as far as dancing is concerned. She dances with a lot of grace. I think she is the best dancer in Indian cinema after Waheeda Rehman. She reminds me of her," the Padma Vibhushan Kathak maestro told PTI from Mumbai where he is shooting with Madhuri.

Birju Maharaj and the 46-year-old actress will soon perform a special jugalbandi act on the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa', which will have Kathak piece on the song 'Piya Tose Naina Lage Re'.

The 75-year-old legendary dancer has choreographed Madhuri in films 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (DTPH), 'Devdas' and most recently did a song for her upcoming film 'Dedh Ishqiya'.

Asked about his experience of working with Madhuri, he said that she is a quick learner and always tries to excel.

"I worked with her for the first time in 1997 for a dance sequence where actor (Shah Rukh) is playing the drum in another room and she dances on those beats.

"It has been more than 15 years but her dedication towards dance is the same. She grabs quickly and is a genius dancer. Her expressions are just perfect," said Birju Maharaj.

On item songs replacing classical dance numbers in Bollywood, he said that this is the reason people still love old songs.

"Who can forget Waheeda Rehman in 'Guide' or Meena Kumari in 'Pakeeza'. We don't get to see Kathak or other classical dance based songs in cinema today and that is the reason people still love to watch old songs. Madhuri has kept the tradition of classical dance in cinema alive. Be it Devdas's 'Kahe Ched Mohe' or dance sequence of DTPH , she has performed brilliantly," said the National Award-winning choreographer.

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News Network
July 1,2020

Los Angeles, Jul 1: Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas has struck a two-year television deal with Amazon. The 37-year-old actor shared the news about her "multimillion-dollar" first look deal with the streamer in a post on Instagram.

"So honoured and excited to finally share this news with you. Looking ahead, we already have so much on our slate! Big thank you to @jsalke and her team at Amazon for being such great partners, and for sharing in the belief that talent and good content knows no boundaries," Priyanka wrote.

The actor, who launched her own production banner Purple Pebble Pictures in 2015, said she aims to create "great content" featuring "creative talent" from all over the world.

"This has always been the DNA of my production house Purple Pebble Pictures, and is the foundation of this exciting new endeavour with Amazon. ⁣⁣

"And as a storyteller, my quest is to constantly push myself to explore new ideas that not only entertain but most importantly, open minds and perspectives," Priyanka said.

She thanked her fans for being a "big part of my journey so far".

"And for those who are just getting to know me, or maybe only recognise me as Alex Parrish from 'Quantico', I'm excited for you to get to know me better," Priyanka concluded.

Priyanka, who started her Hollywood career with ABC series Quantico, has featured in films such as Baywatch and Isn't It Romantic.

Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told Variety that she bonded with the actor over their "shared passion for diverse global storytelling".

"Priyanka is drawn to exciting original content and characters that can resonate globally. She’s a powerhouse producer, and we are thrilled to collaborate with her for years to come," she added.

Prior to her deal with Amazon, the actor lined up two projects with the streamer. She will star opposite Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden in upcoming thriller series Citadel, to be produced by Anthony and Joe Russo.

The actor will also feature in Sangeet, an unscripted series co-produced with her husband, Nick Jonas.

Priyanka's another project with Amazon is a film about Ma Anand Sheela, the assistant to guru Bhagwan Rajneesh (also known as Osho). The actor will be producing the movie which is based on Netflix docu-series Wild Wild Country.

Besides her association with Amazon, the actor will next star in two Netflix projects -- superhero movie We Can Be Heroes and The White Tiger,  opposite Rajkummar Rao.

She is currently shooting for Keanu Reeves-starrer The Matrix 4, which recently resumed filming after production was halted by the pandemic.

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News Network
June 4,2020

Mumbai, Jun 4: Casting director Krish Kapur, who had worked on films like Mahesh Bhatt's Jalebi and Kriti Kharbanda-starrer Veere Ki Wedding, passed away at the age of 28 due to brain hemorrhage, his family said.

There was speculation that Kapur died in a road accident but his maternal uncle, Sunil Bhalla, dismissed the reports, saying that the casting director fainted at his home in suburban Mira Road here and suffered brain hemorrhage.

According to Bhalla, Kapur breathed his last on May 31.

"He had no medical history. He was healthy and doing absolutely fine. On May 31, he just collapsed and started to bleed. He died of brain hemorrhage," Bhalla said on Wednesday.

Kapur is survived by his mother, wife and seven-year-old child.

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News Network
January 12,2020

Mumbai, Jan 12: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday came out in support of actor Deepika Padukone, who is facing flak from the BJP and some other quarters over her visit to the JNU campus in Delhi to express solidarity with students who were recently attacked by armed assailants.

Raut, who is a Rajya Sabha member and the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', said the country cannot be run in a "Talibani" style.

After Padukone's visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday, many appreciated her "silent solidarity", but some others criticised her for "supporting Leftists", saying it was a promotional stunt for her latest film "Chhapaak".

Some also demanded a boycott of her film, based on the life of an acid attack survivor, played by Padukone.

A section of BJP leaders also criticised the 34-year- old actor over her JNU visit.

Talking to PTI, Raut said, "The demand for boycott of the actress and her film is wrong. The country cannot be run in a 'Talibani' style."

"Chhapaak", directed by Meghna Gulzar, hit the theatres on Friday.

Declaring a movie tax-free means the state has waived the entertainment levy imposed on it, thereby bringing down the ticket rates and encouraging more people to watch it.

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