"The only reason I'm taking up Jhalak is that it's going to push me out of my comfort zone" - Sagar Parekh

Popular actor Sagar Parekh who became a household name due to his portrayal of Samar in Anupamaa, is all set to debut in the reality TV genre. He will be entering as a wildcard contender in the popular reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, which is currently on air. The show already has some great names, like Sreerama Chandra, Shoaib Ibrahim, and Shiv Thakare. 

Sharing more light about his participation in JDJ, Sagar says, "I think the only reason I'm taking up Jhalak is that it's going to push me out of my comfort zone, like in an extreme way where I'll be pushing my limits. I think it will be fun. I want to experience that, and, more importantly, I am taking it as a challenge. Entering as a wildcard contender is definitely not an advantage, as I'm not getting any safety weeks, and the judgment is going to start immediately. Additionally, there are contestants who are like professional dancers, and I am a non-dancer. This is the first time I'm dancing professionally and I have never taken a single class in dancing. So it's going to be really tough and challenging for me to match up to those wild card contestants who are professionals as dancers.”  

Sagar is very much aware of the other talented contestants in the show, but for him competing is not the main factor. He says," I think it's not important that I'm competing with some talented contestants; what's important to me is the journey of getting better. I'm challenging myself, and the competition is with me. It's very cliche, I know, but yeah, this is how it is because the judges are going to judge the same way. They are not expecting anything extra from me, but they want to see how much I'm capable of and how much I can push. So that's the journey I'm going to follow. I believe Jhalak is a big platform for non-dancers as well, and at the end, I will learn a new skill out of it.” 

Talking more about the technique of dances, Sagar adds, "I have no experience in dancing. Whatever I have done is like ten seconds of dance for reels on social media. That is also very casual dancing compared to competitive TV reality shows. Yes, I have the rhythm, but I have no experience regarding what dancing actually is. And now that I've come in contact with that,  I know that it's definitely not an easy job.” 

In the show, Sagar’s choreographer will be Shivani Patel. Sagar feels Shivani is one of the best in the industry. 

“I think she's one of the best in the industry; she's very sweet and patient. She has this x-factor quality that a choreographer needs where she makes every hard step easy for me to understand and makes sure that I push my limits in a very beautiful way so that it doesn't trouble me a lot. I think she's just amazing, I lack words when it comes to her.”  

Sagar is currently rigorously training himself for the show. He is practising hard, and he has also hurt himself in that process. 

He shares, "It’s been four days since I started practising. I've got the least amount of time because my casting was done at the last minute. Within those four days, I've been rehearsing for at least 12-13 hours daily which involves nonstop dancing. So I have swollen muscles and joints, and every part of my body is paining. My skin has peeled off from my feet. And now I know how the actors experience pain during their dance sequences. I remember reading Deepika Padukone’s pain during Nagada Sang Dhol. So I can really relate to what a real hustle is when it comes to physically testing your body.”  

Sagar, who defines himself as a non-dancer, danced for the first time as a kid at a New Year party. His favourite genre of dance is Bollywood because he feels he is that typical Bollywood kid who just enjoys the filmy dance without thinking about anything; to him, it’s the most stress-free form of dance.

Talking about his favourite dance icon, Sagar says, "India has got an immense amount of talent, and there's no way I can only mention one name. Whether it is Prabhu Deva Sir or whether it is Bosco Sir, the list is big, and each one of them is an institution in dance.”