The inauguration ceremony of Hockey World Cup 2018 was held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The setup and the great performances have left the nation mesmerized.

Bollywood’s dhak-dhak girl, Madhuri Dixit Nene, who was a part of the bandwagon, took the audience by surprise after she performed a graceful dance along with 1000 other artists in sync.

Centering around the theme of the ‘oneness of the humanity’, the dance drama was titled the ‘Earth Song’. It was a visual spectacle to see her perform in a well-coordinated setup where she was also the narrator of the act. Her dance drama beautifully depicted the five elements found in Vedas- Aether, earth, fire, water, and space.

Elated by the entire episode, Madhuri said that she has never performed as Mother Earth before. It was a powerful character and she particularly identified with its theme of oneness and its universal appeal. To bring to life a powerful character like this in front of a live audience was a challenging and exhilarating experience. And the larger-than-life dramatic costume gave it a colorful twist.

The actress went on to add that sports should be not just a part of one’s life, but also a way of life. Over the past few years, I feel India has grown prominently in the field of sports, and not just in men’s cricket. Hockey is our National sport and India hosting the World Cup speaks volume by itself; this goes to show that steps are being taken to improve the sport.”

800 local kids joined the actress in her tribal performance and left the audience glued to their seats.

With her performance, Madhuri proved that she is still a fantastic performer.

Priyanka Dutta