Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2018)

Prabhu Dheva, who turns 45 today, had an early celebration on the sets of the dance reality show Dance India Dance Li’l Masters. The guest judge was joined by regulars Chitrangda Singh, Siddharth Anand and Marzi Pestonji as he cut the cake while contestants paid him tributes with performances on his hit songs “Muqabla”, “Sari Ke Fall Sa” and “Gandi Baat”.

Meanwhile, Lara Dutta, who turns 40 on April 16, was in for a bigger surprise on the reality show High Fever… Dance Ka Naya Tevar, on which she is one of the judges. In-between performances, the actress and former pageant queen’s six-year-old daughter Saira emerged on stage, her face hidden behind balloons as she sang the birthday song for her mother. While a teary-eyed Lara rushed to her daughter, co-judge Ahmed Khan sprang another surprise on the crowd – an audio-visual of Lara’s husband, ace tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, sharing a special message for the birthday girl. Celebrations were rounded off with a cake and Saira’s spirited performance on the song “Swag Se Swagat”.

A visibly overwhelmed Lara said that she has celebrated birthdays on sets before but this one was a first on many counts. “I have never ever had my daughter be a part of anything at work. It’s amazing when I get a chance to see her, especially on a day that I know I am going be at the studio the whole day. Also, Mahesh never says any of the things when I am with him, so it’s a big deal that he did so and on national television,” she added.