JDJ8 Contestants: Hits & Misses.

Neetz

@.Jane..

Stunner

39

+ 7

Posted: 10 years ago

#1

I think this season in general has a likeable bunch of celebs. But two people who I had no expectations from and who grew on me in the first two episodes were Shamita and Mohit.

Shamita is very graceful and a natural. I know she has danced a lot in some of the movies but that doesn't mean she would be as good on live stage as well. For all you know, she might have taken a number of retakes in those films. But on stage, she gets one chance and I think she proved herself. I will not compare her to her sister but if I have to root for a winner based on the first episode, I would say her.

And Mohit was the biggest surprise for me. I did not expect him to dance the way he did especially because I have seen him on another reality show and felt he was quite hopeless from the promo. But his choreographer is arguably the best of the bunch. No one can make a non-dancer perform like Marischa Fernandes. I mean, she made Chang win JDJ4! I kinda wish we had 3 Marischas so that Vivian and Ashish could get one as well because that would be real fun!

Sanaya is my favourite of the bunch in terms of the fact that I am her fan but I know her dancing needs work. Her transitions were very rough making her performance seem very staccato and that can be irritating on the eyes. Her choreography did not make it easy to judge her potential technique-wise but I understand there were limitations because of her injury. She has a flexible body and is comfortable in her skin. I feel she can show considerable improvement given proper guidance. I just don't know if Jai Kumar Nair is the right person for that. Lack of an inherent understanding with her choreographer ruined Shweta Tiwari's journey on Jhalak and I hope it doesn't happen with Sanaya.

Faisal is amazing but that's exactly what I expect of him. I don't know if it's fair or not but I expect really extraordinary performances from past DID contestants and I've mostly been disappointed. Maybe because I've seen what they're capable of and the bar is low here.

Radhika seems really sweet but there is no fire in her performance which is surprising considering how she speaks of her passion for dance. And I don't know if it is appropriate of me to say but I see the winner of this year in her. And maybe I wouldn't mind if she actually performs like, say, Sushant who I equate her to in terms of her standing on the continuum of non-dancer to dancer.

Vivian is a weak dancer but I feel more than anything he needs to let go of his blatant nervousness. It reflected quite disturbingly in his performance and took away from it way more than his stiffness did imho.

Ashish is the poorest of the lot but he is so sweet. Unfortunately, I don't see him going very far because he is just so resigned to the fact that he is the worst! It makes me feel sad really and I hope he does something about it.

Subhreet is an inspiration and I love her spirit. But stop reminding her she is missing her leg because she doesn't seem to care much for that fact. She is here only for the love of dance so kindly judge her based on that. Everything else comes later.

I was mainly looking forward to Scarlett because I am a fan of her choreographer Dhiraj Bakshi. I didn't know who she was before this and checked out Imported Kamariya just yesterday. I was not very impressed tbh but I loved her performance today. She was graceful, gorgeous and elegant. I know she won't win but she and Dhiraj can give some truly memorable performances so I look forward to them.

Kavita needs to work on her dance, that's obvious, but I need more performances to really form an opinion on her. But she has a very affable personality which draws in to her performance and imho is her biggest strength.

Dipika has grace but she lacks sharpness and stamina. I equated her to this season's Pratyusha but if she drops her Colors' bahu mannerism, she is actually better than the ex-Anandi in terms of potential for dance.

I am very neutral to Raftaar because I feel he played on his strength today (not necessarily a bad thing). Before I really form an opinion on him as a dancer, I want him to see him do another dance form. But I really liked his performance today.

If I have to rank the celebs by their performances, the following is my personal opinion:

Males: Faisal, Raftaar, Mohit, Vivian, Ashish

Females: This is a little more tricky and I feel that while the DDT has a consensus on the males, there are more grey areas here and I had to analyse more before this list. I would go for- Scarlett, Shamita, Radhika, Subhreet, Sanaya, Kavita, Dipika

Overall: Scarlett, Shamita, Faisal (he's a better dancer than the others but I expected more from him), Raftaar, Radhika, Subhreet, Mohit, Sanaya, Kavita, Dipika, Vivian, Ashish

The judging, however, has the potential to turn me off if it keeps up like it was this week. I will not fret and give it a bit of time though. Shahid Kapoor is the reason I tuned in this time and I hope I made the correct decision. I found the premiere overall underwhelming but I might be able to watch this season through.

Edited by .Jane.. - 10 years ago

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chaitrasarvani

@chaitrasarvani

Beginner

0

Posted: 10 years ago

#2

Agree

Mohit is surprise package and Shamita did well

Faisal is best among all

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cupoftea11

@cupoftea11

Dazzler

21

Posted: 10 years ago

#3

Perfect post 👏 Exactly what I thought about the performances

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medha

@medha16

Rocker

25

+ 2

Posted: 10 years ago

#4

Hi!

A well balanced review...I agree with most of the points u have mentioned.

For me, Faisal, Scarlet,Shamita and Radhika are the strongest contenders here. I actually liked Radhika's performance...she is very fluid and graceful. She needs to work on her transitions though. I feel that her floorwork was very good but too much of graphics interfered in her act.

Faisal was great and I had expected nothing less from him. I had my jaws open watching him manoeuvring through that huge prop. It was all about timing and only a skilled dancer can do that with so much ease. The problem was his partner. Vaishnavi is a good dancer but Faisal has reached beyond being the "lil champ"he was before...the poor kid could not keep up with him. I hope that is not a hindrance to his acts. He is projected as an adult and is expected to behave like one, then he should be given an adult partner too.

Shamita was GOOD. She showed versatility and that's what impressed me the most.

Scarlet again, is very graceful and she has very sharp lines, good posture...I see her doing well if not for the obsessive compulsive fanatic voting jdj is known for.

Mohit was a surprise package for me. And so was Kavta. Man, she is a riot!😆

She was really sincere and seemed like an avid learner. Under proper guidance, she might just shine.

Mohit again, is very hardworking. I wasn't expecting such such a nuanced performance from him. As u rightly said, Marischa is really great with transforming a non-dancer to a dancer. Not just Chang, remember how good Shaan became by the end?

Raftaar was impressive . I would be rightly able to judge him once he shows some variation. It was a hardcore dance routine with very intense choreography, he pulled through but perhaps, Sneha was a little early in giving him such an advanced routine. In some portions, he was off sync and I really don't blame him though.

Not much to say about VD. He is not a good dancer and he knows it...came out as too stiff. He was way too overscored and he needs hard work...lots n lots of it. Bhavna is an amazing choreographer, she's guided so many ppl over the years along with Vaibhav, Vivian might just shine through in the end unlike Siddharth Shukla who didn't have a very perceptive choreographer.

Dipika is flexible. Unfortunately, she froze up today and I also think Vaibhav overshot his dart for once! THAT choreography would have worked on someone like Ritwik and Asha but it was just too much for Dipika.

Ashish...the guy has an affable presence. He is here to have fun and learn and it is evident from his attitude. He doesn't have the same "hungry" look like say, Mohit.

As for Subhreet, I respect her immensely and am inspired by her drive, her tenacity, her will power but at the end of the day, it's a DANCE competition. I feel that she should not have separate parameters for judgement...that's grossly unfair to others as well as a disrespect to her.

And, last but not the least Sanaya.

Well, I was disappointed, that's all. She has grossly underperformed. I've seen her do better in ITA n the trio act with Drashti in season 6. She was too nervous, too clumsy and all over the place.

The song selection wasn't right...Sanaya has never been the sexy item girl type and her expressions n body language were totally off. She seemed very mechanical.

I won't criticize Jai yet, coz I know that he is a great performer himself and has done some amazing choreography in the past but I did find a lack of chemistry or spark, whatever u might call it, between the two. Sanaya is not a great dancer but I know that she isn't this floppy as well. Something just did not click today and she needs to work really hard to be termed as a credible contender and not just a popular face.

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Neetz

@.Jane..

Stunner

39

+ 7

Posted: 10 years ago

#5

@medha16: Thanks for your insightful review =) I mostly agree with what you said.

I did not have a problem with Faisal's partner as such but their pairing didn't do wonders I agree on that one. It appeared like they had both rehearsed separately. Faisal's grown up but so has Vaishnavi, I don't see her as a 'kid' really.

Oh tell me about Scarlett! Wouldn't it be great if she went far? But I am prepared for her not to, I shall just enjoy her till I get her. What a beauty!

I remember Shaan and Marischa. Love love LOVED them so much <33 I used Chang as an example because he won the trophy in S4 and though he wasn't the better dancer, but I couldn't call him undeserving.

I am not a fan of Sneha as a choreographer, I don't know what KJo sees in her but I don't have a problem with the toughness of what she gave Raftaar. He seemed to manage it for most part and I am happy she pushed his limits that way. If she wouldn't have done that in a dance form he is comfortable in then when else would she?

I think Siddharth showed considerable improvement by the end of his journey but I agree that Sonia Jaffer surprisingly couldn't do much for him. Bhavna Khanduja is a smart choreographer. Aside from non-dancers, I remember how she resurrected Karan Tacker's jhalak journey midway so that makes me think she can guide Vivian well. He is exactly like Siddharth in terms of height, body proportions and stiffness so it all depends on how well he and Bhavna take that on.

Again I don't know if the choreography was too much for Dipika and I think we will never find out. People can freeze in stage at the simplest of things. It's a spur of a moment thing. If Colors gives her a shot as a proper contestant and not as Simar, her journey might be fruitful. But till then her antics irritate me.

My problem with Ashish is exactly what you mentioned. He knows he is at the bottom but he's letting that bog him down. He is an enthusiastic learner but I can see he feels he won't be around for more than a couple of weeks.

As for Sanaya, I agree the type of act was not suitable for her and that is precisely why I worry. Jai should've known already what Ganesh had to point out. For the record, I find Jai to be a beautiful performer but as a choreographer he doesn't always understand the needs of his contestant. If he manages to understand Sanaya, I feel she is in the best of hands but if he can't then like Shweta, I would feel Sanaya also being robbed of a proper journey on Jhalak.

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cupoftea11

@cupoftea11

Dazzler

21

Posted: 10 years ago

#6

Are you all dancers? Me and many others here don't know anythign about dance but we are here to support our favs so we can't really contribute to your post. I came back to post this because I felt bad I didn't leave a proper comment last time 😛

As a viewer, I enjoyed Mohit,Shamita, Sanayu,Shubreet,Raftaar,Scarlett, Faisal and Vivian's to some extent. Sanaya because I love her and I enjoyed her performance and bollywood style is my favourite too. Like Shahid said, even i was waiting for someone to bollywood 😃 I can't point out flaws in anyone's performance because I don't know anything about dance except the very obvious ones and the ones judges point out.

Edited by SaalaDonkey - 10 years ago

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sara rafeek

@Ooolalala

Stunner

36

+ 4

Posted: 10 years ago

#7

My opinion. I agree with most of the things you said.

Shamita: She has so much potential. I actually see her going very far. But I just hope that judges dont favor her. It would be better if they treat her like any other contestant. Coming to her performance, it was really good. I said it before and will say it again her performance lack energy but it was really challening. Keeping that in mind, she was amazing. Doing bharatnatyam with salsa? WOW! Then doing bharat natyam and salsa with Hip hop? Are you kidding me? Four dance forms together in just one song. I couldnt imagine someone doing bharatnatyam in bang bang track. But she did it. Now thats what I call amazing. The credit goes to her choreographer as well. It was something creative. Overall amazing and she deserved more than 32.

Faisal: I didnt find any flaw from his side. I think he was amazing. The guy had right energy, right steps, and right prop. What I mean is he made a good use of the prop. Very good dancing. Only if his partner could match up to him in terms of dancing, it would had been a perfect act. The act was also very challening. So kudos to him for taking challenges in first week itself.

Radhika: LOL I think I have given a lot of feedback on her already. But again a lot of graphics and I expected a bit more dancing. But whatever she did was amazing. The lifts in her act were not easy but her lifts were perfect so kudos to her and choreographer. Her floor work was amazing. Beautiful knowing that its not easy. It was pretty good. The dance moves were very clean and fluid. However, since she is trained dancer the expectations are really high.

Subreet: This girl is really brave. She is really confident and has the right spirit. Having said that, treat her like any other contestant. Her dance was not that good. It was simple and nice but nothing extra ordinary. It didnt deserve a 39. Also knowing that her performances were so much better in IGT so expectations are high.

Raftaar: He did what he could do best. I liked it but I cant say much about him until I see his other performances. Not amazing, not really good but not bad either. I would say that it was decent.

Kavita: I agree with you fully here. According to me, her dance moves were not clear but she has what it takes to be called a good dancer. She has the right energy, passion, and the X factor. Expressions were good. Overall I like her act.

Scarlett: After having a discussion with you, I watched her act again and I paid close attention to her dance moves. Just how shahid said the lifts were great, dance steps were sharp. expressions were good and most importantly she was enjoying her dance. That matters a lot. If you enjoy your dancing then half of the work is already done. She was feeling it and she was very confident.

Mohit: he was good and he tried very hard. You can see his efforts. But i think other performers performed so well that it kinda overshadowed his dance for me. He was decent just like raftaar. Good effort. Waiting to see more from his side.

Faisal: Okay I have seen DID. He set the standards really high there. i have high expectations. From his side, the act was perfect. His steps were clean, great energy, passion, expressions. Overall I liked it. Again not extraordinary but really good. I wish he had a better partner.

Sanaya: The act was clumsy. I know she is capable of doing much better. But hey she went out of comfort zone so gotta give that to her. Act was nothing special. You know sometimes even if the steps are not perfect but expressions and the feel is then that means you have succeeded to an extrent. However, the expressions were not up to mark. The song choice was wrong. The song didnt suit her.

Now weakest of the lot, Dipika, Ashish, and Vivian.

Dipika: Shocked! I am not her fan but I have followed her. I know that she is capable of doing so much more. You know she is just like shweta. Even shweta was capable of doing much more than she did. Dipika is a good dancer. She is very graceful, can give beautiful expressions, and a sharp dancer. I was shocked that she forgot her steps and couldnt do well. I would give her a chance knowing that she can be mind blowing.

Vivian: He is trying hard. Like really really hard. By the end of his journey, he can grow and emerge as a good dancer. His body is stiff but I am sure his future performances will be much better.

Ashish: I know he is not a dancer but he needs to be confident. He thinks he cannot do it but I believe he can. Confidence is also really important. If youre confident then that can help a lot in terms of dancing.

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Neetz

@.Jane..

Stunner

39

+ 7

Posted: 10 years ago

#8

@Saraa: Thank you for your reply! Really enjoyed reading your insights and it's good we have differing opinions on certain things. Life would be boring if everyone agreed on everything. Maybe we went different schools of dance which is fine =)

I have mostly said everything I had to in my main post and reply to @medha16 but I agree I don't want BW favouring Shamita too much. That would take away from her as a dancer.

And yes, Faisal's partner is a weaker dancer (still brilliant) but she isn't his choreographer so to me that doesn't feel very awkward. I think if they can work on their coordination, she can still bring a lot to his performances.

Oh and I had no idea about Dipika being a good dancer because I haven't seen her before. I thought she'll be dheela-dhaala like Pratyusha and I do feel her performance lacked energy but I can see that she actually has potential. I hope Vaibhav works well on her. He is a fantastic dancer but I have never seen his choreography.

Rest I agree with some and not-so-agree with others but I look forward to more discussions in the coming weeks =)

@SD: I really can't get myself to type your full username😆 You don't have to be a dancer to see the flaws really. You don't need to be an accomplished dancer to tell a good performance from a bad one or to spot if someone forgot their steps! And if a regular viewer can't spot a mistake, that means the dancer covered it well and judges actually praise that.

But thank you for sharing your views! Some of us are here for our favourites and some for the love of dance but that's what makes the forum fun anyway :D

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