Prabhu Deva Explains He 'Cannot Imagine Life Without Dance'

New Delhi: Apart from being a maverick filmmaker, Prabhu Deva is an exceptional dancer, choreographer and an actor. The multi-talented star, who turned 45 on Tuesday, explained that dance is his 'extension' and he cannot imagine anything without it, reported news agency IANS. "I think dance is my extension. There is nothing that I can imagine without dance. I see the visual first... I approach dance in a very raw way and then I am a bundle of emotions. It is a very pure thing that happens between my emotions and physical movements, and nothing comes in between," IANS quoted Prabhu Deva as saying. Prabhu Deva is best known for choreographing songs such as Muqabla, Urvasi Urvasi and Kay Sera Sera.

Prabhu Deva debuted as a director in Bollywood with 2009 film Wanted headlined by Salman Khan. He will be directing Salman Khan's third film in the Dabangg series - Dabangg 3. However, his first film as a director was 2005's Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana.

He also worked with other Bollywood stars including Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, Shahid Kapoor, Ajay Devgn and Varun Dhawan. When questioned about which of these stars gave him a tough time, Prabhu Deva told IANS, "You see, if anyone is calling me to choreograph a dance, they know my style and they know I am a taskmaster. They want to present themselves as a good dancer before their fans, and that is why they want me to choreograph. So I would say no one gives me a tough time." He added, "Yes, they might be doing more rehearsals than that of a regular dancer, but I do not mind working hard with stars."

Talking about which he revealed that when was working with Madhuri Dixit on their hit song Kay Sera Sera, 'she did more than 20 rehearsals' and 'practiced until she felt confident' enough for the final take. "In Kay Sera Sera for which Madhuri and I danced together.... She is a great classical dancer and my style is different. She kept on practicing until she felt confident to go for the final take. I think she did more than 20 rehearsals. But I think that is how they achieve what they achieve. One cannot achieve that level of perfection without this amount of hard work," IANS quoted him as saying.

Speaking of his love for the art form, Prabhu Deva told IANS that when he dances 'everything changes.' "Everything changes when I dance... I am a taskmaster there, I am the creator, I am high on dance, my expression, body language... I am like a fire.

Prabhu Deva, who has directed Rowdy Rathore, Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Action Jackson doesn't like to interfere in other director's work, especially when he's the acting in the film. On being asked, if he ever imposed his superiority, he told IANS, "With experience, I have become more focused and I have no problem taking instructions. When I work in a film like an actor, I do not interfere or try to use my seniority or impose anything on the filmmaker. That is wrong. Unless I agree upon a director's vision, I will not sign a film. If I signed it, I should follow his vision."

Prabhu Deva, who is currently gearing up for the releasing of his upcoming film Mercury, explained that when he's dancing or directing, he transforms into a completely different individual. Speaking of which he told IANS, "These two are two different worlds. I may or may not be successful as a film director, but when I direct a film, I am telling a story the way I want to say it. There I am looking into every matter that is coming before the camera."

Mercury featuring Prabhu Deva and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, is a silent film, which is releasing on April 13.

(With inputs from IANS)