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Kathak’s living legend, Pandit Birju Maharaj, dies at 83

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The living legend of Kathak, Birju Maharaj, who had been diagnosed with kidney disease a few days ago and put on dialysis, died at his home here late on Sunday. He was 83.

Maharaj ji, as he was popularly known, was said to be playing with his grandsons when his health unexpectedly deteriorated, requiring him to be rushed to the hospital, where he died of a heart attack.

A recipient of the country’s second highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan, Maharaj ji was also a lifelong Kathak guru as well as a talented Hindustani classical singer and percussionist.

He will be remembered by cinema buffs for the two period dance sequences in Satyajit Ray’s historical drama ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’ (for which he sang as well) and for the ‘Kaahe Chhed Mohe’ track picturised on Madhuri Dixit in the 2002 version of ‘Devdas’.

Maharaj ji won the National Award for choreographing ‘Unnai Kaanadhu Naan’ in the Kamal Haasan multi-lingual megahit ‘Vishwaroopam’ and the Filmfare Awards for the Bajirao Mastani number ‘Mohe Rang Do Laal’.

Adnan Sami, one of the first artistes to pay his tributes to the doyen of Kathak, 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.”

Another early tribute came from Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who tweeted: “Pandit Birju ji Maharaj was a doyen of India’s art and culture. He popularised the Lucknow gharana of Kathak dance form around the world. … His passing away is a monumental loss to the world of performing arts.”

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.

Bollywood

Shehnaaz Gill on exploring Bengali culture through ‘Singh Vs Kaur 2’: ‘I enjoyed it a lot’

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Mumbai, Sep 3: Actress Shehnaaz Gill has opened up about her character Jasneet Kaur in “Singh Vs Kaur 2.”

Speaking exclusively to media, she shared what made portraying the Bengali-rooted character an interesting experience for her. Jasneet Kaur comes from a Bengali background, while the story of the film travels across Punjab, Kolkata, and Canada. Speaking about the character, Shehnaaz shared that the role gave her an opportunity to explore different cultures, languages, and personalities.

Gill stated, “It was a lot of fun, and it was a very interesting character. And I enjoyed living in that culture. And seriously, when you watch the film, the way we have presented Kolkata so beautifully, you will find it very interesting. When you watch the film on 11th September, you tell me how much you found my character interesting. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Shehnaaz has opened up about being part of the ‘Singh vs Kaur 2’ franchise and addressed the possibility of comparisons with the first film. The actress said she does not feel any pressure, as her character Jasmeet is different from the one portrayed in the original. The actress explained that while the first installment featured a different character named Jasmeet, the sequel introduces her in the role.

“I think, as far as comparisons are concerned, in Singh Vs Kaur, the first character was a girl named Jasmeet, who was someone else. Now, it’s me. So, I don’t have any pressure about this at all. And I don’t think there will be any point of comparison because, of course, some things have a lot of impact on the audience’s minds. But when people see me, trust me, they will fall in love with me too,” said Shehnaaz.

Directed by Navaniat Singh, ‘Singh Vs Kaur 2’ stars Gippy Grewal and Shehnaaz Gill in the lead roles. The film is slated for a worldwide release on September 11, 2026.

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Priyanka Chopra recalls summer of 2017 when she gave Nick Jonas her number

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Mumbai, September 3: Global icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas took a trip down memory lane as husband Nick Jonas and his brothers Joe and Kevin released their latest song “Listen When Sad”.

She shared a nostalgic compilation of their relationship and recalled the summer when she gave Nick her number, in the summer of 2017.

Priyanka shared a video featuring a series of pictures capturing happy moments from her journey with Nick, including their early days together, travels and family memories. The actress captioned the post as,“Oh yes!

I do remember, the summer, I gave you, my number… circa: summer 2017 Sound on New Song Out Now | #ListenWhenSad @jonasbrothers.”

For the uninitiated, the post comes as the Jonas Brothers’ new single “Listen When Sad” was released on August 28.

The song nostalgically revolves around memories of young love, including the line about a summer when a girl gave someone her number.

Priyanka’s compilation also included a picture from a family holiday in Goa, featuring her cousin and actress Parineeti Chopra, brother Siddharth Chopra and other family members posing together.

Parineeti, who seemed thrilled, also took to the comments section to reminisce about the trip, writing, “Dayum that Goa trip was THE ONEEEE”.

Talking about the Priyanka and Nick’s love story, while the couple’s first face-to-face meeting took place at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party in February 2017, Nick apparently had already made the first move months earlier.

On September 8, 2016, he had sent Priyanka a Twitter DM saying, “I’m hearing from a few mutual friends that we should meet.” Priyanka replied asking him to text her instead considering her team had access to her social media account, which is how Nick got her number.

The two later met for drinks in New York and were subsequently invited to attend the 2017 Met Gala together by Ralph Lauren.

Their relationship eventually turned serious in 2018. Nick proposed to Priyanka and the couple tied the knot in a lavish wedding ceremony in Jodhpur in December 2018.

The couple are parents to their daughter Malti Marie.

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Sanjay Dutt says, ‘Grateful for the bond we share’ as he wishes Rakhi to sisters Priya & Anju

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Mumbai, Aug 28: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said that he is extremely grateful for the bond he shares with his sisters Priya and Anju.

On the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Sanjay treated his Instagram family to some rare and precious moments with his siblings.

The ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.’ actor shared that he feels truly blessed to have Priya and Anju as his sisters.

He wrote on the photo-sharing app, “Priya and Anju, I feel truly blessed to have you both as my sisters. Through every chapter of life, your love and support have been a constant. Grateful for the bond we share. Happy Raksha Bandhan (sic)”, followed by a red heart emoticon.

Earlier today, Priya also compiled a heartfelt note for Sanju on social media.

Celebrating the bond they have managed to create over the years, Priya reflected on their childhood together.

Taking a trip down memory lane, she dropped a couple of photos from when they were kids and penned, “From childhood memories to all that life has brought our way, some things never change. The love, the laughter, the arguments, the endless stories, the unspoken understanding… and the comfort of knowing that no matter where life takes us, we will always have each other.”

“We have grown up together, watched life change around us, celebrated some of its most beautiful moments, and stood beside each other through the difficult ones too. And somewhere through all those years, this bond has remained one of the few constants I can always come back to.

“Happy Raksha Bandhan, Bhaiya. Here’s to all the memories we have made, all the years we have walked through together, Always grateful to have you as my brother,” she went on to add.

Their parents, late legendary actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis, got married back in 1958.

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