Uma abt elimination & his future plans

He considers himself the fortunate one to be paired with Sudha, although it was not easy to train someone who had physical limitations. Nevertheless, they rocked the show right from the beginning. Uma was shocked when they were eliminated. We spoke with this talented man right after the elimination.

Tell us about Umashankar, the choreographer.

I've been a choreographer for the last eight years and I've been in Mumbai for four years. I've just finished a film called Mumbai Salsa. In Jhalak, initially I was a little apprehensive. I didn't know if this was the right time for me, but I think now that it has been a wonderful experience. Sudha is a part of my family now.

So how was the experience of training someone like Sudha?

People think that Sudha is a professional dancer, so it should be easy for me to train her. But that is not true. The fact is it's double the work. When she used to go to Chennai, I used to fly with her. If there are 100 lifts in the vocabulary of dance, I can only do 10 with her. And that too not easily. If there are 10,000 footwork combinations, I can only probably do 500 with her, but she used to overcome all the limitations with her courage. We really had to work very hard. And as a choreographer, it was a challenge for me. I feel like a winner because we've come so far. I've really won her as a friend.

Did the elimination come as a shock?

Yes, it was shocking. But I have no reason to complain, as from day one I was prepared for anything. The programme was not entirely about dance—if it had been, I would have been shattered now. I don't have a reason to feel like that now. There are a lot of other aspects about the show.

What are you future plans?

I've been refusing work because this show was pretty hectic. Apart from dance, we had to do a lot of other stuff like selecting our costumes, meetings, props, etc. I'll just take a holiday now and then take up the projects that will come up.

How is Jhalak as a platform for a choreographer?

Jhalak is also a choreographer's show apart from the stars. It all depends on who you get to train. If Sudha had had a different choreographer, she would have danced differently. So it is what you get and what you make out of it. In that way I am really glad I got a chance in this show. As a platform, it's not just the janta but even the industry people who notice you. Producers and directors are keeping an eye on upcoming choreographers. I am sure it helps everybody.

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