'Small towns have amazing talents' - Sandeep Sopparkar

Sandeep Sopparkar, the well-known Salsa dancer cum choreographer is all set to judge 9X’ Chak De Shahar Di Kudiyaan Te Gali De Gunde. Replacing the other choreographer Ganesh Hegde, Sandeep will join the likes of Raveena Tandon and music composer duo, Salim-Suleiman, while the buzz is that Karisma Kapoor might be the 4th judge on the show..

Here is Sandeep talking about his new stint as judge on television…

How is the feeling to be a Judge of Chak De on 9X?
I feel proud to be associated with such a show. It is one of the kind, youth reality show. They are actually picking up boys and girls from various small and big towns. They are not celebrities in any way and we are trying to give them a great platform through this show. I have personally been associated with youngsters in my career and I am excited to be part of this reality show.
 
There are many reality shows on TV giving platform to youngsters to showcase their talent. According to you, how is Chak De different from other shows?
Normally reality shows either concentrate on singing or dancing. But this is one show which concentrates on singing as well as dancing quality of the contestants. This show expects the contestants to be all-round performers and judging them here is indeed a tough task.. 
 
Can you talk about your background as a dancer?
I am a Latin-American Ballroom dance teacher. I teach 18 styles of dancing and Salsa is one such form of dance..
 
How long has been your association with television?
I started as a technical director of Jhalak Dikla Jaa Season 1, I judged Boogie Woogie for few episodes; I was also judging a show called Aaja Zoom Le which was on Zoom channel. But this is the first time that I will be a full-time judge on a television show. I was also offered Jhalak Season 2, but things didn't work out.
 
What made you to accept the Chak De offer?
As I said, the fact that it is a youth-oriented show encouraged me to accept it. Also, the contestants here are similar to the people I teach in my dance class, so I can relate well to them.
 
What will be your judging criteria?
I will judge the performance, and will take into consideration the manner in which they present it, and express themselves. The interpretation of music and the way in which you present the choreography to the audience is what matters!!
 
Your opinion on the talent of big town and small town…
According to me, most of the talents are found in the small town. I have been giving workshop to the smallest cities possible and to my surprise I have seen amazing talent there.. In bigger cities, you get all the opportunity, but in smaller towns less options open up. So I think programs like Chak De really give the small towners a big platform to showcase their talent. 
 
Is it possible to sing and dance at the same time and excel in both?
I doubted that in the beginning, but yes it is true. It is very difficult though, as while dancing you have to lip-sync the song, and this might tire you out as you are dancing too. I was surprised when I got to know that these contestants have been balancing out this act of singing and dancing so nicely. This is why this show is different!! And this makes it more challenging for us, the judges…

Reporter and Author: Ranjini Nair