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Having taken Farah Khan's advice seriously to work on her footwork, Mona Singh had refused to be part of any promotional tour for 'Jhalak Dikhhla jaa' (Sony).

But, now being a finalist, every vote counts and last week, Mona did end up performing some dance numbers at Lokhandawala market Diwali Festival. She asked onlookers for their support and votes.

Meanwhile, her 'close buddy' Karan Oberoi is leaving no stone unturned to help garner votes for Mona. Recently, he sang many hit numbers along with his group, Band of Boys, at the Inorbit Mall.

Mona Singh speaks of her 'Jhalak..' experience

Mona Singh had all slamming her after the first episode in 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' (Sony) especially on her being overweight. It is credible that she took every criticism in the right spirit and worked hard to loose weight and also achieve what she set out to do – "to dance". Eight kilos lighter at the end of eight weeks and a finalist to boot, Mona speaks to us in the midst of her promotional campaigns in Delhi and Chandigarh.

"I have had a blast. Today, I know that I am not just a mere actor but a dancer as well. I put in my best in understanding the techniques from the basics to different Latin American dance forms," enthuses Mona.

On what made her join it, she says, "It is a show for beginners who want to learn to dance. Besides, people did not expect me to be a part of a reality show. I wanted to attempt something different, away from the usual routine."

"Its been three months since 'Jassi..' went off the air and this was the perfect show for me to regain my identity, away from Jassi. Now, people know me as Mona and that is a huge achievement. I am proud of being Jassi but 'Jhalak..'
essentially has been a major makeover for me. I have emerged as hot, sexy, namkeen from the earlier tag of cute and innocent," smiles Mona.

What does winning mean to her? "It would mean victory as I never ever thought I would be able to dance. It's a huge achievement. It will open up other areas of work for me. It might open doors to Bollywood and this year should be a start to new beginnings."

And what if she lost? "I never thought I would reach so far in this contest so I would return to my normal life. Just being a finalist with Shveta who is such a good dancer is great."

"I have learnt from Tobby that only hard work will take one far and there are no shortcuts to success. He knows how much to push me and is a great choreographer. We are very alike, laugh and enjoy the same things," says Mona on Tobby.

Mona will be seen in 'Extreme Makeover' (Sony) and is a RJ for a radio station. "I will never quit TV as this is where I have achieved success as an actor. But I do wish to be part of challenging film scripts and would ideally like to combine TV and films," says Mona.

Shveta Salve refutes charges of being selfish and on being a trained dancer.

When one is a finalist to a 50 lakh prize, one can expect controversies to add to the pressure but having to read nasty untruths is the last thing one needs. Reports of Shveta Salve refusing to part with a certain amount to her choreographer Longinus Fernandes and on her being a trained dancer have put Shveta in bad light.

Very upset and shaken, Shveta says, "The headline hits below the belt and is so untrue. It is tarnishing my character. Our contract clearly states that twenty per cent of our prize money goes to our choreographer and apart from that we have talked about giving two lakhs. If I win, I may want to give him something so much more. But that is a personal decision. Firstly, I don't believe in counting my chickens before they have hatched and if I do win, then my token of appreciation to Longi is nobody's business."

She also refutes rumours of her being a trained dancer. "Would Sony and Synergy have me on the show without doing their homework as to whether I am a seasoned professional dancer or not? One can't hold my natural instincts of dancing against me. Do I have to underperform to prove that I am a non-dancer? I have received full 30 marks thrice on the show and yet each episode I have been wondering if I am going to be ousted. It feels horrible that I am constantly striving and yet being hit below the belt."

"After 8 weeks of hard work, such rumours are in bad taste. I would request the person who has trained Shveta to come forward and take credit for it. In dance, its either you have it or you don't! She worked very hard in the first month in learning all dance forms and added to it, she has a natural flair for dancing. Our last performance has showcased our efforts. Of course, finally it is the viewer who decides," signs off Longi.