Jhatkas no more!
Usha Thomas
Being the only participant who had no affiliation to Bollywood, there was a feeling that the judges on 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' (Sony) should be less harsh on celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor being a non-dancer and his offbeat movements. Well, this week his journey on the show has come to an end.
"This was to be a show that judged celebrities from different walks of life. It takes guts to be part of this. I agreed thinking it would be ballroom dancing but it ended up being more Bollywood jhatkas that I was not comfortable doing. But having said yes, I gave it my best shot though it did not fit my image," says a relieved Sanjeev at being ousted out.
That the judges were very upset over Rati's (Agnihotri) elimination also made him more determined to make a graceful exit. "I did not treat it as a competition and unlike the other participants, I was not in it to compete, or for the money or fame. Mobilising viewer support was an easy task but to know that I would have gone ahead while the remaining pairs who are definitely better danc,ers, would suffer because of my popularity with viewers was not acceptable to me," says Sanjeev.
"Nicole too had her exams and 10 hours of rehearsals would end up with her missing a year. I spoke to Nicole and I made an effort to make sure that I was ousted. I had fun and have no regrets at all. I cherish the experience as my basic motive here was to learn new things," says a cheerful Sanjeev.
Sanjeev's 19 year old choreographer Nicole Alvares states that her biggest achievement on 'Jhalak..' was getting "Sanjeev out of the kitchen and on to the dance floor".
"I am so proud of how he accepted his weaknesses. I admire his grit and determination at learning waltz, rumba, salsa and even some cool Bollywood moves," says Nicole.
Overseeing the technical aspects of the choreography is Sandip Soparrkar. "I have yet to see a more dedicated person like Sanjeev. He worked hard at mastering various dance forms, concentrated on techniques and would not rest till he got all his movements right. Most of all, I am going to miss his chicken momos and sabudana vadas," laughs Sandip.
Indian Mythology
