Malaika's thumbs-up for Nach couples

I am enjoying myself

The day Star One approached me with the idea of judging Nach Baliye, I said yes instantly. It's an absolutely novel idea and I am enjoying every minute of it. There's not been a minute when I've felt bored and wondered why I'm here.

What I love about the show are the surprises… It's full of them. A high-ranking couple on one show could score low on the other week. Or a low-scoring couple could top the charts. Honestly, I can never predict how a particular couple will perform till I see them on stage.

Being a judge is tough

I've always been on the other side of the fence — dancing, interacting with choreographers or even being on stage myself. Judging a dance show for couples who are personalities in their own right is tough — even for me. Credit goes to the choreographers who have done a fabulous job.

The 20-lakh prize to the award-winning choreographer along with the spotlight on them will work wonders for new talent. It will push them to give their best every week. I like the way they've seriously taken all the critical comments, we judges give; and have worked on every itty-bitty aspect.

If I had to dance with Arbaaz…

But, let me be honest, it's not easy dancing with your own partner — no matter how accomplished a dancer one may be. It's another story dancing with choreographers, or dancing alone.

Dancing with your partner is by no means, a cakewalk! If I had to dance in a competition with Arbaaz, I would have sleepless nights and butterflies in my stomach.

When Arbaaz and I shot our only video together for Shubha Mudgal, we had a great time, but it was definitely not without its share of trying moments! We took liberties with each other that we wouldn't with anyone else. We snapped, lost our cool, and egged each other on to get it right on the sets.

Everybody wants to win

The couples have their good days and bad days. I've seen them working together to get it right, smiling, getting worked up — the whole hog — during their rehearsals. It's also tough to know that maybe your partner had a bad performance, and that may impact your chances of making it. These ten couples are truly brave and gutsy. After all, lets face it — everybody wants to win!

Comedy is the toughest

Eventually, it's team effort that counts, as the dance themes each week keep getting tougher. As a dancer, I think the third round tonight with its comedy theme is the toughest.

It's easy to express yourself on a sensuous song or even shake to a folksy number or dance on a disco version, but a comic song is tough.

Bad enough, you have to dance and emote — here, you also have to make the judges and the audiences laugh with you! If you tune in to tonight's episode at 9 pm, you will see the couples get their comic timing right and dance their guts out. And I assure you, like the rest of us, you will not be able to stop laughing at all!"