After seeing Alia Bhatt’s dazzling Kathak performance in Abhishek Varman’s Kalank if you thought the actress is a trained classical danseuse, think again. Alia spent just two days with the legendary Kathak guru Pandit Birju Maharaj before facing the camera for the period drama’s jugalbandi Ghar More Pardesiya in which she dances around Madhuri Dixit.

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Media reports on Kalank earlier suggested that Alia was trained in Kathak but talking to PeepingMoon.com, the actress revealed, “I trained in the basics of Kathak for a year just for the song Ghar More Pardesiya. And then with the choreography, I rehearsed for two-and-half months. One week before we shot, I went to Pandit Birju Maharaj for expressions.”

The effect of Alia dancing the Kathak for the first time on screen is a visual treat in Ghar More Pardesiya. Set against the Ramayan festival, and packed with classical artistes who lend grandeur and purity to the track, Ghar More Pardesiya celebrates love from Sita’s point of view. It is shot on the streets of Hira Mandi in Husnabad and shows Alia in white lehenga with a dupatta over her head surrounded by men in Vanar Sena costumes while Varun Dhawan prowls panther-like in her wake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdk3brbEkPw