Brijmohan Mishra , popularly known as Pandit Birju Maharaj (born 4 February 1938), is the leading exponent of the Lucknow Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Kathak dance in India.
He is a descendant of the legendary Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, which includes his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, and his father and guru, Acchan Maharaj.
Even though dancing is his first love, he also has an excellent command over Hindustani classical music and is an accomplished vocalist as well.
He took Kathak to new heights by choreographing new Kathak dance dramas.
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He is also the founder of kalashram.
He has toured extensively around the globe, given thousands of performances and held hundreds of workshops for kathak students.
After working along with his uncle, Shambhu Maharaj at Bhartiya Kala Kendra, later the Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, he remained head of the latter for several years, till his retirement in 1998 when he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi.
Birju Maharaj was born in the house of noted Kathak exponent, Jagannath Maharaj, popularly known as Acchan Maharaj of Lucknow Gharana, who served as court dancer in Raigarh princely state.
Birju was trained by his uncles, Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj and his father, and he gave his first recital at the age of seven.
On 20 May 1947, his father died when he was nine . After a few years of struggle, his family moved to Delhi.
Birju Maharaj started teaching the dance form at the young age of thirteen, at the Sangeet Bharti in New Delhi.
He then taught at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi, and at the Kathak Kendra (a unit of the Sangeet Natak Akademi) where he was Head of Faculty, and director, retiring in 1998 after which he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi.
He composed the music, and sang, for two dance sequences in Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj ke Khilari, and choreographed the song Kaahe Chhed Mohe from the 2002 film version of novella Devdas.
In addition, he has also choreographed Kathak dance sequences in Dedh Ishqiya as well as Umrao Jaan, and Bajirao Mastani directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
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Awards and honors:
- Birju Maharaj has won many accolades, including Padma Vibhushan in 1986, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Kalidas Samman. He also received honorary Doctorate degrees from Banaras Hindu University(Varanasi) and Khairagarh University.
- Filmfare Award for Best Choreography for song ‘Mohe Rang Do Laal’ from ‘Bajirao Mastani’ in 2016.
- He was the recipient of the Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar in 2002.
- Bharat Muni Samman
- 2012 National Film Award for Best Choreography: Vishwaroopam (2012)
- 2016 Filmfare award: Bajirao Mastani (Best choreography)
Here’s a look at Pandit Birju Maharaj’s choreography in Indian films:
- Madhuri Dixit performed a mujra to the song ‘Aapke Karar Mein’. The dance was choreographed by Pandit Birju Maharaj.
- “Ghar More Pardesiya” is a song from the 2019 Bollywood film ‘Kalank’. Alia Bhatt was trained under Pandit Birju Maharaj for three days for this song.
- Pandit Birju Maharaj choreographed “Mohe Rang Do Laal from the film ‘Bajirao Mastani’. Deepika Padukone took Kathak dance lessons from Pandit Birju Maharaj.
- Madhuri Dixit was Pandit Birju Maharaj’s favorite with whom he worked in ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Dedh Ishqiya’.
- The thumri song ‘Aan Milo Sajna’ from ‘Gadar’ was choreographed by Pandit Birju Maharaj.
- The song, ‘Kaahe Chhed Mohe’ from the film ‘Devdas’ was choreographed by Pandit Birju Maharaj, and the steps were one of the highlights of the song.
