Blowing Kisses, Making Heart Signs At Ranveer…Deepika, What Were You Thinking?

She may be the Queen of Bollywood  at the moment . But Deepika Padukone was a disaster on stage performing live at the IIFA in Madrid. As telecast on Colors this Sunday the show boasted of a singularly unfunny anchoring act by Farhan Akhtar and Shahid Kapoor, and some of the most vapid live performances by Bollywood ’s A-listers in recent years.

But Deepika, whom we all love for the pinnacles of beautified brilliance that she has achieved on screen lately, was a  special letdown. It wasn’t her fault,really. For once she had decided to let her heart rule her head. Hence while she “danced”(some who saw her live performance would dispute that claim) she blew kisses at RanveerSingh, and made heart gestures at him, making sure that the world knew that this Mastani was deewani about her real-life Bajirao.

There were close-ups of Ranveer smiling smugly accepting all of his ladylove’s attention as though by divine decree.Sanjay Bhansali who sat next to Ranveer squirmed in embarrassment.

We all know public platforms have become a favourite haunt for stars to vent their innermost feelings. Celebrities the worldover announce marriages and breakups on Twitter. But to let the world know from an international platform while performing a live act about the man she loves, and that too for the first time…this was a first for any Indian entertainter.

Mubarak ho.

Maybe Deepika wanted to create history…history of the heart, so to speak. In doing so she forgot to  focus on her act which was listless, limpid and uninspired. In fact no live performer at the IIFA this year s except HrithikRoshan and Tiger Shroff  DANCED. All the stars, including the mighty Salman Khan,simply pranced on stage and then took off for some serious vacationing at their hosts’ expense.

(And why Madrid, for art’s sake?! The city has no interest in Bollywood ).

Deepika’s performance was specially disappointing. She had danced like a dream in Bhansali’s Ram Leela andBajirao Mastani.As the foremost leading lady of Hindi cinema who is seen to be a torchbearer for feminine grace and ineluctable beauty in Hindi cinema Deepika has a responsibility towards herself and the audience.

In one word, Deepika’s performance sucked.

If she wanted an occasion to let the world know she loves Ranveer Singh she could have chosen a more suitable platform for confessions of the heart to focus on the compulsions of her art.The botched-up clumsy dance movements made a mockery of the elegant movements in Bajirao Mastani.

This is bound to happen when Birju Maharaj’s movements are counter-choreographed by Shiamak Davar(it’s like asking Michelangelo to re-design the Taj Mahal) and when the neo-Madhubala forgets that Pyar kiya tohdarna kya is not an occasion for true confessions.