'I am not a good dancer, but am a good student' - Meiyang Chang

After a smooth journey with Marischa as his choreographer wherein he mastered every style of dance put before him, Chang today stands tall as the Winner of Season 4 of the reality show..

Here is Meiyang Chang in conversation with TellyBuzz..

How would you describe your journey in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4?
It was lovely to be part of this show. I had come here as a caterpillar and now I am a butterfly. I got to learn a lot thro' this show. I won't say that after winning this competition I am a great dancer but all I can say is that I am a good student for sure.

Was it a planned move to be part of the dancing reality show? How has this affected your career, that of a dentist?
I would say it was a life altering journey for me. Initially I was doing dentistry, and had never thought of doing such things. I was on the verge of going abroad for further studies, when my sister who is Kolkata asked me to try my luck at Indian Idol.  After going thro' the auditions, life changed for me, and my profession too changed.  And not just one, I have explored various aspects of that one different profession. I am glad that my parents encouraged me  to move away from dentistry, as that has been our family profession.

Have you ever thought that you could be the winner of Jhalak.. as the competition was quite tough?
The competition was tough, and  I had never thought that I can ever win this competition (laughs). Being a non dancer, I never saw a chance of winning.  After the first two episodes, I noticed that there is a room for improvement. Even Marischa told me that I had to work hard to be recognized as a good dancer.  She kept motivating me, and always said that I had the potential in me to be a good dancer. I used to rehearse for long hours, without even going back home.

Sushant is a good dancer, did you ever think that you could beat him?
Not only Sushant but Yana, Ankita, Ragini, Krushna were better dancers and I thought I could never be compared to them. But I think I have got rewarded for all the hard work and dedication I put in. And somewhere down the line, even the viewers felt that I am a good learner and am catching up well.

Tell us about Marischa?
Marischa has always been hard working, and is the encouraging source for me. If ever I got nervous while doing any step, she used to console me  and would explain the progress that she saw in me as a dancer. She has been a very strict teacher and has pushed me to the brink when it came to learning.

How did you take the judgments given by the three judges?
Actually it never hurt me or made me sad. Their comments never made us feel that our performance was very bad. Though we made mistakes in our performance Madhuri always pointed out the mistakes but the way in which she said it was very sweet. Malaika again has a very nice sensuous way of passing comments for a guy, and we used to feel good hearing them.  We used to be afraid of Remo sir because he looked into all the technicalities.

Did you think that your unique personality attracted the audience?
I don't know about that, but even Marischa used to tell me that my smile used to make her emphatise with me. I really do not know what impressed viewers, but I am thankful to God  for the good features I have (smiles).

Which was the most challenging phase for you in the show?
I think it was during the theme of Teen ka Tadka where there was one celebrity to join us on stage.  That was a time when we both had not gelled well, and for a third person to join us in our act was indeed tough. Also, I had to miss rehearsals as I was out of town.  With time fleeing, Marischa got into tremendous pressure, and literally had a nervous breakdown. I was also equally stressed out and that period was very much demanding.

What would you choose -  dancing or singing?
I will go for singing because dancing needs lot of energy, stamina etc. On the other hand, singing doesn't need that, we can combine with friends and have a jolly good singing session anytime. I think we can hide our mistakes in singing but we cannot do it while dancing. However, on a  long run I would love to pursue singing and acting.

Do you think you are a Master of all Trades?
I don't know about being a package or a master. I should be happy that I got a platform to showcase my various talents.  Not all get to have this kind of an exposure.

What is your next project after Jhalak?
I have few thing is the pipeline, have to go out for my live shows. I also have few TV offers. Let's see how it goes for me. I have no films in my hand right now. I will take up something that excites me.

Reporter and Author: Tejashree Bhopatkar