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Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded review: You will NOT miss Madhuri Dixit, coz Shahid Kapoor is the MOST lovable judge on TV!

He came, he danced, smiled, laughed, cried and conquered us with his sweetness...

Shahid Kapoor's grand debut on Colors' Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded was simply COOL! The actor sure is one of the most endearing and lovable judges on small screen. He is that well mannered, sensitive and hot looking guy, Aditya Kashyap from Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met. And yes, trust us for those of you who were wondering if Shahid can pull off a reality show, he does makes an attempt to not just be honest but very very different from all other Bollywood stars on small screen until now. The show however, ends up looking more like a soap opera than a reality dance show thanks to the over done dance performances. Read the full review to find out what was happening about the RELOADED version of Jhalak and what was not...

What's hot?

Shahid Kapoor of course! But it is not his looks that works for the show. It is his charm and affable presence, which adds a touch of freshness to the eighth season. Did we miss Madhur Dixit Nene? Not one bit. In fact, Colors did a smart choice by opting for a young and a never seen before judge. Shahid as an actor has been under exposed on TV. Apart from his few appearances for movie promotions, the actor is absolutely fresh and that comes across. Plus there is an air of young, vibrant energy on the show. Madhuri was PERRRFECT, but Shahid is AWESOME! Here's why he works well for this format...

# Informal is cool! Yes, from the way Shahid sits on his judge's seat to the camaraderie he shares with his fellow judge Karan Johar everything is what you would be like while watching this show in the comfort of your home. The mood is pretty light and breezy thanks to his presence. He's no senior actor who commands certain kind of decorum. In fact, he's that guy you wanna flirt with, chit chat with and have a dhamaal time with while witnessing some good dance.

#Interactive is fun! Yes, Shahid might not know many of the contestants on the show, yet he shares a kind of chemistry with them. So it is pretty cool when he pep talks with Vivian DSena or then invites Lauren Gottlieb on stage to get Mohit Mallik's romantic side out in the open. Even the jokes he cracks with Manish and Karan seem more impromptu and less rehearsed. His rapport with Karan also adds to drama in a nice lighthearted way.

#Sensible and sensitive: Like Madhuri, Shahid too is a fabulous dancer. It is easy for him to pinpoint flaws in a performance. But with Shahid you know where you stand with the way he words his opinion. It's not just in the words it is also very much a part of his expression. So, if he has loved your act you will know, if he appreciates your energy you will feel and if admires your attitude you will experience it. He doesn't need one word or a catch phrase to tell you how awesome or okay you are.

What's not?

The show lacks the real feel where the performances are concerned. All performances look like recorded acts of an award show. Blame it on the production team, but every performance we saw had too much visual effects and the over lit stage kind of took away from the act itself. Barring Subhreet Kaur's performance, all the performances gave a feeling that TV stars were performing at one of the channel's festival special show. Also, the role of the mentor judges - Ganesh Hegde and Lauren Gottlieb is not defined, may be there will be more clarity on it in the upcoming episodes. The fact that they are seated on a different platform away from Karan and Shahid is kind of awkward at the moment.

What to do?

Well, watch it for Shahid! Karan Johar might not have meant it when he gave feedback to Sasha at the end of the show and said, "Indian television mein best judge ho!" But we certainly think that he is setting a new benchmark. Manish Paul is at his best. So what if Madhuri Dixit isn't there to do the pallu act, he has now found Karan Johar and is ready for Dostana it seems. Simply cannot wait to see what's in store for us in tomorrow's episode.

Rating:3.5 out of 5

With few flops in his kitty and not-so-memorable performances, an actor as talented as Shahid Kapoor has had his share of bad luck in the industry. But good times started with Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Haider'. When the actor was finalised for 'Haider', there were raised eyebrows questioning the logic behind the decision.

Shahid Kapoor silenced his critics and how. So, calling 'Haider' his best decision till date, and even better than getting married, won't be an understatement. Perhaps, his third best would be to agree judging 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' - Season 8 and "Reload"ing it with his style.

On the makers' side, it's the best plan, but yes, second to retaining Manish Paul as the host. We'll come to that later. Firstly, the man of the moment - Shahid Kapoor.

While Madhuri Dixit was perfect as the show's judge for more than a couple of seasons, there's a newness that Sasha has brought along with himself. He is cool, polite and just Shahid. So he doesn't mind squirming in his seat, readjusting his position and showing his socks. He knows girls swoon over him and hence, he just has to be himself.

It might be too soon to judge Shahid's judging skills, but his debut as the cool, candid judge is beyond praiseworthy.

There's a newborn bromance on the show with Shahid and Karan Johar. It's not forced at all. Add without any gayish connotations.

There was a subtle indication of his marital status at the start of the show, when he said, "Mujhe mere bachelorhood ke din yaad aa gaye." But after that, no drama, nothing. The simplicity of things and we liked it.

All the drama was exhausted in the first 15 minutes when KJo was showed ruing the boredom in his life. But had it been anybody else, we would have hated. KJo somehow manages to infuse interest and cuteness in whatever drama he does.

Then came Shahid, like a breath of fresh air, riding on a segue and "reload"ed Jhalak.

KJo was as usual adorable in his judge avatar. Ganesh Hegde was at par with Remo D'Souza, picking the right points to criticise and doing it politely.

There was a 'nickname' moment when KJo, Shahid and Ganesh divulged their nicknames. KJo divulged Shahid's - Sasha.

However, we didn't quite understand the presence of Lauren Gottlieb among these celebrated names. Lauren is, no doubt, a good dancer but she was a participant two seasons back. And having Ganesh and Lauren made to sit separately from Shahid and KJo, is like making the difference too apparent. The channel needs to rethink what it plans to do - make Lauren a judge or a demi judge?

And one advice Lauren, speak English if you want to and smile a little less. Honestly.

Manish Paul is introduced as the host since the very start of the season, unlike the previous one, and that we say is the best move.

Manish has a natural flair of comedy and when it comes to 'Karan sir', it doubles up. We will definitely not miss his putting-Madhuri's duppatta-in-mouth antics; they did become boring sometimes. He should try something new with Shahid this time. And, for the mentions, his 'chhanni' joke about a choreographer's costume - the best one.

Talking of participants, unlike previous seasons, most of the names this season are well known. Sanaya Irani, Vivian DSena, Mohit Malik, Radhika Madan, Kavita Kaushik, Faisal Khan, Ashish Chowdhury and Shamita Shetty are already in the running for the coveted trophy. These people, along with a huge fandom, have an innate talent of dancing and this surely will take them a long way.

The interaction between the participants, judges and host is also free flowing, without much ado or drama. Especially the moment when

Shahid Kapoor was teary-eyed after watching physically challenged Subhpreet Kaur's dance. It was touching, without being overtly dramatic. A much needed progress and hope it continues.

Another dance reality show, in lieu of becoming better became 'Too much', and we feared the same might happen with Jhalak, but so far so good. Things seem pretty smooth unless the drama heads of the show take-over and make the show 'dramatic' again. But since it's Shahid at the judges panel, who brings subtlety into even the most fiercest dramas, we can sit back and relax.

As Shahid said, 'Naya try kiya hai, purana fry kiya hai...' Jhalak is totally new. 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' is actually 'Reload'ed this time.