MF Husain books a theatre to screen "Aaja Nachle"

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Painter Maqbool Fida Husain, a well known admirer of actress Madhuri Dixit, has booked an entire theatre in Dubai to screen her comeback film, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Husain, who is vocal about his liking for Dixit, found inspiration for a series of paintings on her titled "Fida". He also produced and directed a movie "Gaja Gamini" that cast Dixit in the lead role.

"This is just my way of welcoming her back into films," he told the DNA daily. "She is very dear to me. There are many actors, but she is a phenomenon."

Dixit marks her return to Bollywood in a musical "Aaja Nachle" after a six-year break. The film portrays her as an established choreographer in New York who returns to India after her mentor dies.

The painter said he has sent special invites - a ticket of the film and an autographed picture of Dixit - to his guests for the show scheduled on Thursday. He also plans to decorate the theatre with some of his paintings on her dance moves.

"I have six painting put up, each depicting her famous dances, like 'Ek Do Teen', 'Dhak Dhak karne laga' and 'Chane Ke Khet mein'," he said. "The paintings have some of the lyrics of those songs written on them."

The 92-year-old painter who lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London after his work depicting "Mother India" as a naked woman drew widespread protests from Hindu nationalists.