Meet the couples of Nach Baliye 2

Meet the couples of Nach Baliye 2

Television's most popular shows like Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge found a sequel too difficult to resist, and went in for round two this year.

Not to be left out, Nach Baliye, 2005?s celebrity couples' dance competition -- where the oldest couple Sachin and Supriya were the winners -- also decided to have its season 2. Nach Baliye 2 is scheduled to go on air in September on Star One. The show returns with a brand new line-up of 10 couples from the world of television and will have the same format. The two episodes -- Reality Episode and Performance Episode -- will judge the contestants in different ways. The reality episode will offer a sneak preview of the way the couples rehearse, and the performance episode will see the couples dancing in front of the judges. While last time's judge Saroj Khan returns for the new season, director Farhan Akhtar will be replaced by Kunal Kohili (Hum Tum, Fanaa). Malaika Arora Khan may return as the third judge. The hosts of the show have not been announced yet, and it is not known whether last year's hosts Shabbir Ahluwalia and Sangita Ghosh will return.

Read on to see who the ten couples are!

Narayani Shastri, Gaurav Chopraa

They have been seeing each other for the last two years, but have not admitted it yet. "We are just good friends," they throw the regular line at us. When quizzed on why 'just friends' are being called on a show involving couples, the duo responds, "We don't want to tag our relationship with anything. But yes, we share a fantastic chemistry off-screen." So what does the couple think of themselves vis-?is the competition? "You require loads of energy to participate in a dance competition like this," says Narayani, better known as Rimjhim in Piya Ka Ghar. "Gaurav, thankfully, has loads of that. He is huge and so is his storehouse of energy!" Gaurav adds, "Narayani is unbelievably graceful and picks up steps very fast. That's our added advantage. Though everyone who is participating in this show are our freidns, we are taking this competition very seriously. More so, because viewers will be watching us."

Choreographers: Sumeet & Sushil

Gouri, Yash Tonk

Gouri and Yash became close to each other during the making of Kahin Kissi Roz. They got married, and now have a three-and-a-half year old daughter, Pari. Nach Baliye 2 will be Gouri's comeback vehicle. How does the couple rate themselves? "Yash is a natural dancer," Gouri says. "I need to work hard to match his steps. Unless I am able to complement his skills, the magic will not work." Yash refuses to admit that he is a better performer than Gouri. "She is better!" he exclaims. "Her movements are more graceful than mine. Due to my hectic time schedules, we're trying to squeeze in time for practice. Believe it or not, every day after I return from shooting, we practice for three-four hours." Choreographer: Deepak Singh

Shweta Kawaatra, Manav Gohil This happily married couple met for the first time on the sets of Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, and were expecting Star One to invite them last year itself. They were left very disappointed. However, the invitation this year seemed to make up for that lapse. Says Manav, "We are really happy to be part of this show. Shweta is a good dancer, but needs to work hard and polish her skills. She follows the choreographer from start to end, and rarely gives her own inputs. That is good to an extent, but Shweta -- being the creative person she is - should add her bit too. I feel Nach Baliye 2 will help us have a better understanding in our personal life as well." Shweta adds, "Manav is right. I am fully dependent on the choreographers of this show. I know Manav will give his 100 per cent, so unless I work hard it will be tough. Though we share a fantastic off-screen chemistry, it may not show onscreen."

Choreographer: Yogesh Patkar

Shweta Tiwari, Raza Chaudhury

Married for many years, Shweta and Raza, like the other couples, met while they were in a television show together. They now have a daughter. Shweta hopes to use this platform to prove that there is more to her than just Prerna, her hugely popular character in Kasautii Zindagi Kay. "I want to prove to my viewers that I can do other things as well. I am very comfortable with Indian dance, but need to work on Western dance. I am not a versatile dancer," she says. Raza is, however, not confident at all. "I am totally dependent on Shweta for this. I don't have a sense of rhythm and dance and blindly follow what she does," he says, Choreographer: Sagar Mhadolkar

Ketki, Rasik Dave It was love at first sight for Ketki and Rasik when they were in Jai Hind College, Mumbai, and soon after they got married. Ketki, who is the daughter of veteran actress Sarita Joshi says, "We were surprised when Star One approached us for this show. I was sure that Rasik would not agree and said no instantly." But Rasik had something else in his mind, "I do not watch television much but I liked Nach Baliye last year. So I agreed to do it. Plus, dancing is a passion for Ketki and so wanted to give this a try," he says. Though Rasik is not confident about his dancing skills, he feels the choreographers are directing the stars very well.

Choreographers: Megha & Sampat

Gurdip Kohli, Arjun J Punjj

Gurdip and Arjun met on the sets of Sanjeevani, and love bloomed. So it was natural that one of the most hottest couples on TV would be invited for this show. Says Arjun, "Gurdip and I are good dancers. What we need is the final polish. The choreographers are helping us with that and we are confident of giving a good performance." Arjun likes Salman Khan's style of dancing, especially when he tears off his shirt! Gurdip says, "I feel we are the best couple on this planet! We will use our off-screen chemistry to the hilt onscreen. I am confident that the chemistry will work, so we are currently concentrating on our steps." Gurdeep, a huge fan of Madhuri Dixit's dance, is very nervous about performing in front of Saroj Khan, whom she thinks the world of. Choreographers: Jignesh & Nigar

Gauri Pradhan, Hiten Tejwani Undoubtedly the most happening telly couple, Hiten and Gauri have been married for more than two years now. "I was very anxious when we were first approached for the show because we did not know what to do. But with every passing day, I am getting excited. This is the first time Hiten and I are participating in a dance competition, so I can't say how we will perform. If it was acting, I could have predicted the outcome. But everyone in the industry knows, Hiten and I are not good dancers at all," Gauri says. Hiten agrees, "I admit we are not good dancers. We like to do ballroom dancing holding each other. We are here just for masti (fun). Whether we win or not is immaterial."

Choreographer: Arvind Thakur

Tina, Hussain Kuwajerwala

Love culminated in marriage for Tina and Hussain. But Tina is very uncomfortable about facing the media glare. "I am feeling very nervous after coming here," she says. "This is the first time I am facing the media! I told Hussain that this reminds me of our marriage when we were posing for photographs." Talking about the competition, Tina says she is fond of dancing. "When we used to watch Nach Baliye last year, I noticed how excited Hussain was about it. I knew he would participate. He is a terrific dancer." ?I do not have any formal training in dancing. But dancing is a major stress buster for me. This is the first dance competition we will be participating in and so winning or losing is not important for us. Our hard work will pay rich dividends and speak for us," she adds.

Choreographers: Harshall-Vitthal

Keerti, Sharad Kelkar

Keerti and Sharad recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary, and are all set for the competition. Keerti says, "Sharad is a good dancer but is not comfortable in choreographed dancing. But he is a party animal and loves club dancing." Sharad adds, "When the producers of the show approached us last month, we were sceptical since we act in serials daily. We gave it a good thought and decided to participate. Keerti and I practice between 2 to 3 am every day!"

Choreographer: Kiran Giri

Tanaaz R Lal, Bhaktyaar M Irani

They plan to tie the knot on November 18, when Nach Baliye 2 will be on in full swing. So this show will be memorable for them in more ways than one. Bhaktyaar says, "Our choreographer is an expert in Kathak and Kuchipudi and I have full faith in her. Tanaaz is a better dancer than me, having done a couple of films. I am sure she will rock the stage." Tanaaz adds, "We are a very fun-loving and emotional couple. These are two most essential ingredients of a competition like this."

Choreographer: Mini

thnks eks...

am sure tina will gt usd 2 it n will enjoy it....