T2 Kolkata 18th September ' 2013
Drashti's jhalak win
Drashti dhami on winning jhalak dikhhla jaa and how she plans to reward herself
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You, the t2 reader, had long picked her as the winner! Last Saturday, television actress Drashti Dhami, better known as Madhubala in Madhubala " Ek Ishq Ek Junoon (Colors), danced away with the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa trophy and a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh, along with her choreographer-partner Salman Khan. A t2 chat...
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You were a favourite to win and yet when your name was announced by judges Karan Johar and Remo D'Souza [Madhuri Dixit was absent as her father had passed away the day before], you looked very shocked...
I was shocked! I knew I had been a consistent performer throughout and that my fans had been very consistent in voting for me, but you never know with these things. With audience votes involved, anything can happen at the last minute. In fact, the feeling hasn't sunk in even now. I slept through the whole of Sunday and I am still in a zombie state of mind (laughs).
What was the winning moment like?
I don't remember the moment at all! I was in a strange zone when the results were being announced... I was so dazed. Even the first 30 seconds... one minute... after my name was announced, I couldn't react at all. Only when I got the trophy in my hand could I think: Okay, this is for real.'
But wasn't there any point of time in the show when you thought that maybe you could go the whole way?
I was confident that I had put in a lot of hard work and I have been brought up to believe that hard work always pays. But there was always this small doubt at the back of my mind whether I would make it or not till the very end.
Looking back, what do you think worked for you?
It would be my fans who supported me throughout. They encouraged me to better myself with every act. 😳 Also, I am a very hard-working person and I have had bruised knees, scraped elbows and a dislocated shoulder on the show. And, of course, Salman and his choreography, and the brilliant concepts he came up with week after week really worked for me.
On the show, Karan Johar's pick of your best moment on Jhalak was when you danced to Humko aajkal (Sailaab). What would you pick as your most memorable moment on the show?
It would be all the bits, actually. Everything about Jhalak has been very memorable, right from the first episode to the rehearsals to not getting the steps right to making some awesome friends on the show. The judges... the stage... everything about Jhalak was special.
From Lauren Gottlieb to Shaan to the kids Sonali and Sumanth, your competition in the finals was very tough...
Very, very tough! Everyone was equally good, but I think it was the non-dancers like me who showed a massive growth. That's why if I had to pick someone else besides me as the winner, it would be Shaan because he isn't a trained dancer, but Lauren and the kids are. It was tougher for me and Shaan to learn the steps than it was for the others.
How was Salman as a choreographer-partner?
He was very patient with me. He's known to lose his temper easily, but with me he never did because he knew I would come into the rehearsals after shooting for Madhubala for 12 hours. We made a good pair.
How strenuous was it to juggle Jhalak with the shoot of a daily soap like Madhubala?
I think God gave me some magical powers to pull through all these months. 😆 I really don't know how I managed it but it was very, very hectic. In the last four months, I got only two off-days! I worked for 20 hours every single day. But I guess it's just my love and passion for dance that helped me cope.
Do you plan to take up dance seriously?
I would love to. But I don't know how much time I can give to dance. I would genuinely like to make it a career.
Finally, how do you plan to reward yourself?
I want to take a break for three-four days and go somewhere and relax. Hope I can do it soon. ( I hope CV's give her some break )
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Indian Mythology
