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I wasn't planning a review beyond the first week (which was also a very spontaneous, on-the-spot decision) but BeingBlunt very sweetly asked me to make this a weekly feature. I don't know how much I'll be able to keep that up but I could do it this week, albeit a little late. Dedicated to you, BeingBlunt, strictly my thoughts on this week's performances!
Sanaya: I know last week wasn't her highest potential but she has arguably shown the most remarkable improvement between her two performances. Only speaking of today, hers wasn't my favourite I'm afraid, and I think that was more to do with the choreography. It made her look gorgeous but gave her very little to do. Maybe her injury is still bothering her so I'll be patient. Her moves didn't have the awkwardness they had last week though and flowed more gracefully. That was her biggest drawback and it's nice to see progress on that front.
Scarlett: A notch lower than last week, I feel. The dance was brilliant and so was the choreography but after last week's fiery performance, this fell a little short of expectations. I need more spunk from these two because they're the strongest couple on the show with the correct mix of dancing talent, choreography talent, chemistry and mutual understanding as performers. And going by Lauren's word of Scarlett not being a trained dancer, I would definitely root even harder for her. Despite everything, it was still one of the best this week.
Shamita: That was a bloody difficult choreography to carry off! It was fast and energetic and even a little bit of a drop could've made the act fall flat. Shamita has a very strong stage presence and she draws attention to herself, which isn't easy when with a better performer. She has a very expressive face and the body language of a dancer comes naturally to her. But there is no substitute for hard work. My first instructor always used to tell us that a hardworking dancer will always excel way more than a natural (but lazy) dancer. So I really want to see her push herself and try different dance forms. I can see her excelling in so many, specially couple dances like Jive, Tango, Salsa, etc.
Mohit: Last week I had made a comment saying Marischa is a wonder-woman when it comes to making non-dancers perform. And it wasn't without a reason. More than a smart choreographer, she is a very competent teacher. That coupled with the fact that Mohit is extremely sincere and focussed can actually make his Jhalak journey the most impressive this year. I loved his performance this week, definitely a step up from the last in terms of the fact that he seemed so much more at ease on stage. He needs to work on certain postures though. Sometimes the man in a couple's performance is more of a supporting factor to his partner but that is also a part of the dance. That stance needs to be as powerful and as engaging as any other step. I thought he looked a little 'dheela' there.
Faisal: It was outstanding as it should be! Last week i was a little underwhelmed considering his background but this week it deserved all the applauses it got. It was energetic, well-coordinated and well choreographed. And the best part, I loved how much the two kids were enjoying themselves!
Radhika: The choreography was atrocious but Radhika's movements were much better and sharper. But honestly, dancing is not just about doing your steps. Unless Radhika starts 'feeling' it more and giving her 100%, I doubt I will like her performance. I will refrain from saying much more because she has probably been criticised the most from me. But that's only because I expected the most from her and fair or not, that does colour my perception of one's performance.
Vivian: Robotics is a more difficult dance form than we give it credit for and the way Vivian did some of those isolations specially at the beginning was quite impressive. His overall dancing is still awkward and the performance was weak compared to the rest. But for someone who was more nervous than a school kid before exams before/during/after his last performance, the fact that he picked up after forgetting those steps is, I feel, very commendable.
Ashish: I feel the form of dance Vrushali chose this time was familiar hence he felt more comfortable. Being an actor, the body language required in a Bollywood dance came naturally to him and the inferiority complex about being the weakest he had last week was definitely not evident this time.
But of course, there is only so much I can bury the lead. He seemed visibly shaken after Vrushali's accident and I can understand why. Professional dancers are conditioned to have a go-getter attitude. Spontaneity to handle whatever goes wrong on stage is in-built as a part of their training. So for her to actually leave the performance incomplete means it's very serious! On that note, I hope she gets well soon. Brilliant dancer and brilliant choreographer, I am sure she'll be back with a bang. And all the luck to Ashish as well! Of all the sympathy drama that happens on these 'reality' shows, the first time my heart sank was at how heavy his voice sounded when he asked for prayers for Vrushali before votes for himself.
Subhreet: Performance-wise, much better than last week's. It was better choreographed, had way more energy and was a lot more engaging as an act. Honestly, no matter what, that she is missing a leg will factor in when we judge her performances, not out of sympathy but out of the sheer fact that there are limitations to what she can do and how her steps would look because she is dancing on one foot. I don't vouch for unnecessary drama but there are certain things we should overlook and so will the judges. So despite the fact that it wasn't otherwise the best performance of the week, I still feel it was among the top. Perhaps those of you who have seen her in IGT, etc can judge her potential better.
Kavita: I am quite amused (in an endearing way) by how 'at home' Kavita looked in that police uniform. And it reflected in how natural she was in her performance; I am convinced that she pretended she was on the sets of FIR. But Rajit needs to up his game in terms of choreography. The performance was entertaining but had very little substance. Unlike last time, he's got a celeb with a lot of spark but so do other (more talented) choreographers and beyond a point, weak choreography might be this couple's undoing.
Dipika: I hadn't seen much of Vaibhav's choreography in the past but I can see he'll do wonders in his career. As for Dipika, I am yet to get impressed over her dancing but I am glad I was wrong about her being another Pratyusha. If she keeps up whatever happened between her last performance and this, I see her going very far.
Raftaar: I don't have much to add to what the judges said actually. Ganesh's point about a powerful start, Lauren's point about hip-hop hiding his flaws as a dancer, Shahid's point about being too heavy-footed, KJo's about great energy level, it's exactly how I felt about Raftaar's performance. Biggest grievance I felt was heavy-footed. It really took away the grace from his dance. Biggest strength is how his body moves naturally to the rhythm of the music, it's how we start grooving when a peppy song is played at a disc. I felt last week's was better but truthfully I was prepared for that. I had mentioned hip-hop couldn't judge his overall dancing ability. Let's see his progress here onwards.
Overall, I respectfully disagree with those who are not liking this season. It is still early but I feel this might be my favourite on Colors so far. The growth between the first and the second performances is usually the biggest because they have more days as compared to the subsequent weeks but I still didn't expect the improvements I saw in some of these contestants. I will not compare further back because that's just useless.
P.S. I am pretty sure Lauren was not very thrilled at Shahid imitating her accent. Even if momentarily, she let her displeasure slip. And I can understand why tbh. It might be a part of the script and she might've been prepared for it but it is still offensive. Blame it on my poor sense of humour but I never got this concept which finds amusement at another person's expense. I am sure there are no evil intentions but it's distasteful nevertheless.
CID
Kumkum Bhagya
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
