Salman-Isha AT#5 **The Dancers and the Fighters** - Page 89

There has been a lot of speculation on the sudden exit of Isha Sharvani from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa season 5 (Colors. Some media reports suggested that she wanted injury compensation money (she had been injured during rehearsals) from the channel. Other report also went on to state that Isha's injury was not serious enough to call it a day and the only reason she opted out was that she did not want to look bad on stage as she had hurt her face.

To learn the reality, we got in touch with Isha and sent her an email. Her spokesperson sent a mail in reply stating… "It's completely untrue, the channel has been very supportive and no issues pertaining to injury compensation came up as it was taken care already. As for being able to perform, Isha did perform malkhambh with one hand in the semifinals and yet was the highest scorer amongst all contestants. Hence if she could perform then, she would have performed in the final as she is a professional dancer and doesn't believe in any gimmicks as dance is her life. Most important point being, if it was about herself, she had the reason of a dislocated elbow and multiple fractures and could have not performed at all, but she did, simply because of the importance of dance in her life."

The mail went on…

"And as for her appearance, being an actor, Isha is most comfortable with adapting her looks and appearance as per a role or as per the demand of a script. But here, the question was only about, whether Isha could outdo herself, whether she could perform better than what she did in the semifinals and all the previous acts in the show and since she was not convinced about these aspects, came the decision to withdraw."

Isha's PR also sent another general mail (on Isha's behalf) which read as follows, "After working so hard for four months, it was a very tough decision to leave JDJ because I have enjoyed performing on this platform, for the audiences and the judges and I want to thank all my fans and supporters who voted and prayed for me. Post my semifinal performance, due to injuring myself again, I thought it best to withdraw because I won't be able to match the standards set by myself. And I really wish Gurmeet, Rashmi & Rithvik all the very best for the finals."

We have heard Isha's version. However, her partner and choreographer Salman Yusuff Khan added another element to the ongoing drama by saying, "Isha could have performed if she wished. We would have surely won had she agreed to stay on for one last time." So how do you feel about your situation which can be best described as 'so close yet so far'? "I have made peace with myself and moved on," he ended.

Well…you win some, you lose some…