Hard Kaur sheds weight, thanks 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Indian rapper Hard Kaur has put on her dancing shoes for reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' and she is overjoyed that the rigorous dance rehearsals have helped her shed those extra kilos without visits to the gym.

'I'm very happy that I have lost my baby fat without hitting the gym. I had put on loads of weight after I came back from London. I was gorging on everything that used to come my way be it butter chicken or dal makhani, I just love food like a true Punjabi girl,' Kaur told IANS.

'Due to this I had put on some weight, but I have lost it all now, thanks to the rehearsals. And the funniest part is that I'm being paid to lose weight. What else can you ask for,' she quipped.

The singer, who is one of the contestants in the third season of 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa', impressed all the three judges - Saroj Khan, Juhi Chawla and Vaibhavi Merchant - with her performance. The show went on air Friday on Sony channel.

Hard Kaur, whose real name is Taran Kaur Dillon, shot to fame with the song 'Glassy' that became a huge hit. She then went on to sing Bollywood numbers like 'Move your body' ('Johnny Gaddaar'), the title track of 'Singh Is Kinng' and 'Lucky boy' ('Bachna Ae Haseeno') among others.

Born in Chandigarh, Kaur moved to London in 1991 and did her schooling there. She later joined the London School of Music to pursue her dream of singing in Bollywood.

'Bollywood is in my blood. Even though I was in London for 16 years, I always knew that I would come back to India. You just can't run away from your roots and I'm enjoying every bit of attention,' she said.

Vivacious, tomboyish and blunt, Kaur admits that the rap and hip-hop industry is a male dominated territory and she had to struggle to carve a niche for herself.

'The organisers used to cancel my shows at the last moment because they were being told to do so by the so-called influential and established stars - because they couldn't digest the fact that a female was rubbing shoulders

with them,' Kaur said.

'It was disheartening but such incidents have helped a lot in making me what I am. Now I don't take anything rude from any man and I have learnt how to give it back to them as well.

'I have a right to live my life as a human being and just because I chose an unconventional path, many people labelled me as prostitute. This is so silly. Making music and prostitution are two different things. But they will not understand.'

Kaur also attributes her success to her mother, who stood by her and encouraged her to turn her dreams into reality.

'She has always been there. She taught me to respect my culture and pursue my dreams but at the same time guided me so that I wasn't carried away by the glamour and glitz. My roots are very much grounded,' she said.