Astad Deboo, noted choreographer and Padmashri winner, breathed his last today, leaving a gaping hole in the field of art and culture. The announcement on social media ended with "The loss to the family, friends, fraternity of dancers, both classical and modern, Indian and international, is inestimable. May he rest in peace. We will miss him." Deboo's choreography sees a distinct amalgamation of western and desi moves and guess, that's why Mani Ratnam asked him to choreograph Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's escape scene with Behne do in the background rather than a song in Raavan. Astad Deboo, Pioneer Dancer, Dies at 73 at His Home in Mumbai After a Brief Illness

In fact, the filmmaker's request caught Deboo off guard too. Speaking to Indian Express many years back, the late choreographer had revealed, "When I came on board, I too was under the impression that I would be choreographing a song. In fact, I had begun rehearsals keeping that in mind. But Mani had a different vision and suggested that we stylise the escape sequence."

Deboo's demise has thrown the industry and his patrons into a pall of gloom. This year has taken a lot of things from us. Deboo had praised Aishwarya for this sequence as she shot the same thing with two actors, Abhishek Bachchan and Vikram. Raavan is bilingual which was shot simultaneously. When you have a master craftsman like Deboo choreographing a high-octane sequence in a Ratnam movie, it's bound to be scintillating. Unfortunately, that magic won't get created again.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 10, 2020 01:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).