The God of Grooving

The name Prabhu Deva is enough to invoke utter awe from all throughout the country. The dancing legend is known for his seemingly easy and fluid style of performing and whose hit performances in songs such as Oorvasi have made him a household beloved. Deva danced his way to the top and received the prestigious Padma Shri Award for his priceless contributions to dance.

Prabhu Deva. Illustrated by Riya Kumari: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

If your first memory of India’s Michael Jackson is of him dancing atop a moving bus, dancing to the iconic Oorvasi Oorvasi, then you have earned yourself a pass to the OG Club. Prabhu Deva brought the Tamil audience to their knees with his brief appearance on the hit-feature ‘Chikku Bukku Rayile’ from the movie Gentlemen (1993).

From then on, Prabhu Deva danced his way into the hearts of the country.

Born on 3 April 1973 in Mysore, state of Karnataka, Prabhu Deva took off in his fathers footsteps, Mugur Sundar who being a choreographer for the Tamil silver screen, began Deva’s training in classical art forms and also ventured into western styles as well. He would go on to uniquely choreograph over a 100 songs and now his distinct fluid-dance moves is widely recognised among the public.

However, he isn't just a one-of-a-kind dance artist and choreographer; giving us a few blockbusters as a film director.‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘Wanted’ and ‘R... Rajkumar’ being a some of his cinematic films.

Achievement usually changes an individual, however Prabhu Deva has always shown himself to be an artist with great humility. Regardless of 100-crore movies such as ‘Rowdy Rathore’ and ‘Wanted’ to his credit, he remains his respectful self.

From choreographing to acting to directing, Deva has a string of accolades to his name and is adored by budding dancers. Even a normal song becomes a hit because of his dancing and this legend has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry; A. R. Rahman and Kajol.

Deva also won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work in the song “Vennilave"in the movie ‘Minsara Kanavu’. Truly Prabhu Deva is a Dancing Deva(God)!

Prabhu Deva amazing his audience with his electric dance moves; Source: Public Domain