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Parul: Gauhar is better, but God's with me

It was a choice between rivals Parul Chauhan and Gauhar Khan during Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa's last elimination and Gauhar ended up going home. But that wasn't for long…she fought hard in the wildcard episode and is now back on the platform, turning on the heat for the other contestants, especially nemesis Parul. We talk to Parul, who's 'not taking names' as she tells us about being portrayed badly onscreen due to clever editing of arguments, the elimination round when she was in the face off round with Gauhar and the model's reentry on the show.

Were you shocked to be in the bottom two and dance in the face off?
I was aware that I would be in the face off round so I wasn't shocked. I was just praying that I wouldn't be eliminated. The day I got low marks, I was sure I'd be in the bottom two but I decided that whatever happens, I would do my best. When I had to perform, touch wood, whatever I did, God helped me.

Do you think that Gauhar dances better than you?
Yes, everyone knows that. See, I will not lie about it. I came on the show as a complete non-dancer and I have just become a dancer. I didn't know what dance was before learning the forms and the a b c of it here. I have worked hard, day and night. From day one, Gauhar was a good dancer. On the other hand, I learnt how to dance. It's a big achievement for me to have become a dancer here and I am proud of it.

You mentioned that you have no problem getting votes from the public because of your popularity on Bidaai. Are you still confident?
I've seen the video of my comments again and many people asked me about them. What you see on the show is very different from what happens there. Many times, instances have aired that show me in a negative light. I want to make one thing clear: there is a limit to everything. Someone was continuously saying things against me and I ignored it for a while. I will not name the person but things were said against me. And if I am not saying anything wrong to anyone, there is no reason for someone to say something wrong about me. I said I was doing India's number one show (Bidaai) and I am very lucky that I got Deepak as my choreographer. Everyone hoped Deepak would be their choreographer.

What do you think are your chances of winning on the show?
Here, everyone has a chance of winning. The competition is very tough now so everyone is working hard. Nobody knows who's going to last till the final. Everything depends on luck.

What are your thoughts on Gauhar coming back through the wildcard entry?
It's not a shock to me. No matter which two people remain in the final, they will be tough competition for each other. Suppose I reach there, and the other person is stronger than me, it's naturally going to be tough. I will have to work hard, whether it is Gauhar or Hard Kaur.

http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/April/News_20090420_90

Gauhar Khan: I will win Jhalak

Gauhar's elimination on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa last week left everyone stunned, but the model made sure she came back through the wildcard entry by delivering a superb performance, garnering maximum votes. And now, Gauhar on a mission: she's says she's here to win the contest.

"I will win," says Gauhar, "I am a hard worker and keep exploring new stuff when it comes to my routines. I think that's enough to take me far."
Despite being the best dancer on the show, Gauhar was eliminated. But she was confident of returning on the show and now that she has, she says that there is nothing that will not work in her favor. "I am a good dancer and I don't think they'll be any problem voting wise because even in the wildcard round, I got the highest votes," she says.

Gauhar believes that her eviction was all a part of her destiny and doesn't really believe that popularity plays a major role in winning. She refers to the spat she had with fellow contestant Parul Chauhan, who said that she has no problems with votes as her show Bidaai is very popular, saying, "I know Parul is the most popular but it is dance that matters at the end of the day. According to my sources, Parul has not been getting many votes; that makes her chances of winning less. I am sure that, just like the judges, the audience too will appreciate my dancing and vote for me."

However, she doesn't deny the fact that competition is very tough. She tells us, "I know that when it comes to dancing, no one comes close to me but at the same time, when it comes to the teams, Hard Kaur's team, Nishant and Shilpa and Deepak and Parul are really good."

Gauhar signs off on a diplomatic note, saying, "Right now, I am not competing with anyone… I am just concentrating on my dancing. Himanshu and I as a team have to give our best and grow with every performance. That's what we are focusing on."

Last season, Jhalak contestant Prachi Desai was voted out before returning as a wildcard entrant and winning Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 2. And with Gauhar's skills, chances of history repeating are very high.

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa airs every Friday and Saturday at 9pm on Sony TV.

http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/April/News_20090420_91

Vandana Shukla/ Hill Road Media

Monday, April 20, 2009

Sonia: Baichung's taught me to be calm

Sonia, Baichung Bhutia's choreographer on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3, admits that it is very challenging to teach the footballer dance steps and is thrilled that he has walked away with a full 30 marks for his past three performances. We caught up with Sonia, who gave us the lowdown on her dance partner.

How has your experience mentoring Baichung been?
It has been quite challenging as he is a complete non-dancer. Though he has rhythm, I can't teach him the technical things or advanced steps. Baichung was not my first choice for a partner. Earlier, it was Vijayender Singh, who was going to be with me. Then, I got Gauhar as my partner and finally, they decided that Baichung would be on the show.

Do you get along with him?
He is an amazing person and we get along well with each other. We are quite close now and I am comfortable working with him. We do not have any issues and we never fight with each other. I trust his abilities; he is a quick learner. He is busy with his matches so we get only two days a week to practice. We rehearse for 5 hours and I have to give him simple steps as he needs to get the hang of it in a short time. He goes for his matches in the morning and starts practicing at noon till the evening.

What kind of improvement do you see in him?
Baichung has improved a lot. Earlier he wouldn't open up but I think that now, he enjoys dancing. He is comfortable performing and understands the heat of the competition .He works hard through the day and I don't think he lacks the necessary skills. I expected him to do well on the show and if he keeps up the good work, we'll only do better. This was the third week in a row where he got 30 marks.

Has he taught you anything?
I've never really thought about that but yes: even though he is nervous before every performance, he never shows it on his face. He always looks calm and never overreacts to anything. On the other hand, you can quickly make out how I am feeling from my face. So that is something that I have picked up from him; to be calm.

Who do you think is Baichung's toughest competitor?
We are our own competitors as no one has managed to score 30 marks three times continuously on Jhalak. However, if we reach the finale, I would definitely like to compete with Karan Singh Grover. He is very popular and it is always good to compete with someone like him. It would be good to beat him but even losing against him would make it worth it.

Sonia, who has previously choreographed for films, has been part of Jhalak's choreography team for the past two seasons.

http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/April/News_20090421_98

JDJ: Kunal and Boman get the judges dancing

Kunal Khemu and Boman Irani paid a visit to the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3 (Sony TV) sets this week to promote their film 99. The two had a gala time, even getting the judges to show off their own dance moves onstage. Here are some of the highlights of the episode that will air on Friday.

A source from the show says, "It was a fun episode. Both Boman's and Kunal's presence made for a very jovial show. Boman was at his wittiest best and he danced with Vaibhavi. Everyone knows Kunal and Juhi have shared a special bond for many years and the actor recalled his days shooting with her for Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke. Then Kunal too made Juhi dance onstage with him."
When it came to performances, Baichung outdid himself again by scoring a full thirty marks. "Hard Kaur too scored 30 while Parul Chauhan stepped up her moves and scored 28 points. Last week, Parul was the lowest scorer with 19," adds the source.
However, not all the contestants were praised for their routines. The source says, "Monica Bedi was the lowest scorer of the evening, even though she scored 30 last week. The rest of the contestants, Karan, Gauhar and Shilpa, were all fine."

Saturday's episode will show the elimination of one of the seven contestants. There is a strong chance that it will be Monica Bedi and Shilpa Shukla who will have to perform in the face off round. Monica scored the lowest this week and Shilpa has been in the bottom two more than thrice so far.

http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/April/News_20090423_104

Gautami: No more kids!

Gautami Kapoor shocked the nation when she replaced Smriti Irani as Tulsi on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. But since then, Gautami has been off the TV and social circuit. She delivered a baby boy in January and is dedicating all her time to him. We caught up with the actress to find out about her new arrival Aks, her comeback plans and her husband Ram Kapoor.

Aks is just 3-months-old, are his timings still erratic?
Now that he's not that small, his routine has become fixed. I know what time he gets up and what time he sleeps. There's no problem as such.

Who helps you take care of the baby?
Since I am at home, I take care of Aks. Ram is also at home these days so we have been really busy taking care of the kids. At the same time, we are enjoying it.

How much time has Ram been able to give to the baby?
Luckily, Kasamh Se has wrapped up and now that he is no longer on Jhalak, Ram can spend a good amount of time with the kids.

When you appeared on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, you looked like you gained a lot of weight. Has it been hard to lose the baby weight?
No, there was no question of gaining weight as I am constantly feeding Aks. In fact, just after my delivery, I was 23kgs overweight and now I am just 7kgs overweight. The problem on Jhalak was with the dress I wore!

What do you think about Ram's journey on Jhalak?
Ram was fabulous. He decided to participate on the show to reveal his real image to his fans and on the show, he was himself and that was great. Now, people know the real Ram.

Do you think his dancing has improved?
Ram always had a great sense of rhythm and excellent body language. The problem was with his weight. Had he not put on so much weight, I am sure he would have won on the show!

What was Sia's reaction to seeing her father dance on the show?
She followed every performance of his. She loved his dancing and the day he got eliminated, she was very upset.

Did you follow Jhalak when Ram was on?
I have always followed Jhalak, even the last two seasons. This time, because Ram was on, it was more special.

Who do you think will win?
That's a very tough question but I feel that Karan has very strong chances of winning.

When are you planning to resume work?
I want to resume work as soon as possible but now that Aks is just 3-months-old, I need some more time. And on the other hand, nothing really interesting has come my way.

What type of offers are you looking forward to?
I am very choosy when it comes to work. Ram made it very clear even when Sia was a baby that I should take up good work. Hence, I am waiting for something really different and good in terms of character.

Would you consider movie offers too?
I have done many fun movies and if an offer like one of those came my way, I would not give a second thought to doing it.

Are you planning to go on a holiday now that Sia has her summer vacations?
We wanted to go out but since Ram is working on projects we can't really. Aks is also too small now. We may plan something for June.

Are you planning to have more kids?
What? (Laughs) Well… I already have 4 children: Sia and Aks, my first child and our dog Joyee. So with all of them, my hands are full. So no more kids!

http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/April/News_20090424_108