Kamal Haasan pens emotional tribute to Kathak legend Birju Maharaj

Veteran actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan, on Monday, mourned the demise of Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj. Taking to Twitter, Kamal shared a picture of him learning dance from Birju Maharaj from the sets of 'Vishwaroopam'.

Alongside the image, he penned a heartfelt note, in which he called himself 'Ekalavya' who was learning from afar from guru Birju Maharaj before finally getting a chance to be choreographed by him in the film. 

Read: Pandit Birju Maharaj won National Award for Kamal Hassan's Vishwaroopam

"We've lost a peerless dancer like Pandit Birju Maharaj. For several years, I learned from him, from a distance, as Ekalavya did.. then I got to learn from him in person for the film Vishwaroopam. 'Without you insight, I'm not who I am," Kamal Haasan tweeted. 

Pandit Birju Maharaj, a descendant of the Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, breathed his last on Monday. He had choreographed the dance moves for the Kathak song 'Unnai Kanatha' in Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam', and had bagged the National Award for Best Choreographer for the same.

Also Read: The legendary Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj who popularised dance-dramas