Sushant-Ankita in JDJ-All discussions here 3 - Page 90

From what we have seen of Madhuri Dixit on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, almost everyone from the contestants to her co-judges to every guest and obviously the audience seems to be in awe of her. She of course, flashes her sparkling smile, shows off some mean dance moves at every given opportunity and does her best to encourage the contestants. You will hardly catch her being nasty or even critical of their performances. At best, she would sugar-coat her comments but MD has been a delight for the show which reportedly has garnered good ratings, thanks to her hot-star status.

TellyChakkar spoke to Dixit on her JDJ experience and if she would return to the show next season.

What difference did you find from the first day you started judging till date?
I feel more comfortable now, I know contestants better, all in all it's been a wonderful experience. Even when contestants got eliminated we felt bad, but it was all unpredictable with the public voting.

Who's your favourite contestant?
Sushant (Singh Rajput) dances beautifully, (Meiyang) Chang has improved tremendously, Mahhi (Vij) was a non- dancer now she is getting confident, loved her jail performance, Ankita (Lokhande) has grown from strength to strength so it's difficult to say who's my favourite.

What do you look for in a performer?
Personality, movements, body language, expressions. I think expressions are extremely important.

Which has been your favourite performance?
Most of the performances by Sushant were really nice but I loved Krushna's (Abhishek) lavani act! I think it is really difficult for a guy to dress up as a girl and dance. He was very sincere and didn't treat it as a gag.

What is your take on eliminations?
It's a surprise for us. We feel contestants should stay but votes count. People have their own opinion and their popularity with masses count and that's why we say Jhalak is unpredictable.

Do you think it is fair to have audience votes in a dance competition like this?
Well, judges give their best opinion but popularity matters too. Fans too have a say and the format is such where it is 50-50 per cent.

What have you learnt through this journey?
I learnt that nothing is impossible to achieve. When I look at Chang I look back at his performances and now it's so easy for him to take a 10 on 10. I have always maintained no one is a non- dancer.

The first task for you is to get rid of their awe of Madhuri Dixit?
(Laughs) I am sure there was a bit of nervousness but I have been very nice to them and I think they like me.

Were you in awe of any dancer when you started out?
I was in awe of Birju Maharajji because I think he is the ultimate Kathak dancer. In the film industry it has to be Waheeda Rehmanji, Helen and Vyjayantimala. Today actors don't dance but it is more of style like Shammi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. I think Hrithik's (Roshan) dances are poetic.

What is difficult, acting or judging?
I think judging. You have to watch and comment on it which is far more difficult.

Before you took this show up, did you see the other formats as well?
No, I saw the original one Dancing with the Stars in LA but I didn't see the others.

How did your children react after watching you in Jhalak?
They were very happy and they used to sit in front of the TV and scream out my name. In fact they had come on the sets and they were very happy.

Did you get any special instructions from the channel to create some drama?
No nothing of that sort! We would just watch the performance and comment accordingly and this is the response I've got from my fans that it looks very real and I say what I feel like.

Anymore TV stints for you?
(Laughs) No, not for now.

Would you like to be a part of the next season?
Talks are on, let's see!