Mumbai, February 24 – Veteran actress-dancer Kalpana Iyer, in an exclusive conversation with IANS, praised Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt for their powerful dance performances. She particularly highlighted Deepika's performance in "Ghoomar" and Alia's performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Gangubai Kathiawadi".
Speaking about the new generation of actresses, Kalpana told IANS, "Nowadays, the girls in the industry have to work very hard. We also had to do that. I don't deny it. But I can see the difference now."
The actress mentioned that while there is honest and hard work, there are also more perks because producers today invest much more and better. She also acknowledged the scale and detailing in today's productions. Kalpana said, "One thing is for sure. The more hard work, the more the producer invests. I can see the details. I can understand that. I can see how beautiful they look, how gorgeous their clothes are. For me, things have changed."
Appreciating the finesse of contemporary performers, she said, "Some of them dance so exquisitely. So gracefully. I miss them. I don't feel unhappy when I see them. There are some people who are so effortless and so beautiful."
Specifically mentioning Bollywood's top stars, Kalpana said, "I thought that Deepika did fantastically in 'Ghoomar'. I thought that Alia did fantastically in Sanjay Saab's film. This is not an easy task." She emphasized that success does not diminish the effort behind it. "It's very easy for me to say that they get everything. Getting everything doesn't mean that they haven't put in all their effort. Those kids danced. I have to learn to respect that."
Expressing her admiration, she concluded, "I have a lot of love for all these beautiful girls. I wish them well. I want them to continue dancing. Because dance has brought me joy."
Talking about Kalpana Iyer, the veteran actress recently was seen dancing on her iconic dance number 'Ramba Ho Ho Ho', with incredible energy and grace at her recent family wedding.
The video quickly went viral and garnered a lot of attention for the actress.
For those who are not familiar, Kalpana Iyer, who is in her early 70s, rose to fame with the song "Ramba Ho Ho Ho" from the 1981 film Armaan, which became one of the most recognizable dance numbers of its time.
The song recently found renewed attention after being featured in Ranveer Singh's blockbuster movie, "Dhurandhar".
Besides her dance numbers, Kalpana Iyer also featured in several films in the 1980s and 1990s. She is popularly remembered for playing Sangeeta in the superhit movie "Hum Saath Saath Hain". She played one of the three close friends of Reema Lagoo's character who tries to break their unity in the family.
The actress apparently quit Bollywood in 1999 and moved to Dubai. Kalpana is now set to return to the silver screen.