He was a lion on a stage

The dancing sensation of India recalls the Fleeting but life-changing hug the pop king gave him

He was a lion on a stage

The dancing sensation of India recalls the Fleeting but life-changing hug the pop king gave him

He is the reason I am where I am today. He is the reason for me to dance. He is my inspiration. I owe all my dreams to him. An emotionally distraught Prabhudeva, who spoke to MiD DAY moments after hearing the news of his icon Michael Jackson's death, describes the king of pop as the greatest influence of his life.

Prabhu treasures his fleeting meeting with Jackson years ago in a crowded hotel suite in Mumbai. "I was just another Michael Jackson fan, not an actor or a star, in those days. Anupam Kherji phoned me in Chennai one morning, and said, 'Your guru is here. Come fast to Mumbai to meet him'. I dropped everything I was doing and got on the first available flight. It was Bharat Shah who had brought Jackson to Mumbai. I went straight to the hotel where the king was staying, and I was taken to his room. He hugged me, shook hands with me and I was too overwhelmed to react. I had tears in my eyes. Our meeting lasted only for a few minutes. I don't even have a photograph of that. Through your paper, I appeal to anyone who has it to share it with me as a keepsake because that meeting is my lifetime achievement," said Prabhu, voice breaking.

To Prabhu, Michael Jackson is the ultimate performer.

"He was a lion on stage. No one can ever match up," he remarked. No wonder, comparisons with the legend genuinely pain him. "I am nothing (in comparison). But to him, I owe everything," he adds.

Sad that he never got another opportunity to meet his inspiration, he says, "I travelled to the US several times after that meeting and after my fortunes changed, but I never imagined that I could meet a legend like him. I did not know how to get in touch with him, but every time I dance, there is a little of Michael Jackson in my moves. That's how much he has impacted my life."

Turning to Tamil to express his grief he chastises the media for treating the pop king "poorly" when alive and "feting" him in death. "Adedha valkai, ille?" (Isn't that life?) he asks wryly.

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