Another interview of V-R

As the competition hots up on 'Nach Baliye', DNA reader/ banker Ram Pandit gets jiggy with Varun Badola & Rajeshwari Sachdev-Badola

What has your dance background been like? Do you practise a lot for the show?

Rajeshwari: I have learnt Bharatnatyam, but it's been almost a decade since I've danced. We'd love to practise for the show but after our regular jobs, we only have late nights and early mornings to practise - literally 12 to 4 am. There's no riyaaz like we used to do when I did dance.

Does being 'favourites' become too burdensome?

Rajeshwari and Varun: Yes. It's a lot of pressure. It's very encouraging that people expect great performances from us, but yeah, it's not easy working under that pressure. Even the moment of awarding points is tough; it isn't as if we are school kids waiting in line for our report cards, but you can imagine the tension.

Would you agree you've been experimental in your choice of choreography?

Rajeshwari: I suppose so. We've tried to be unique. We knew when we were using songs from 'Bunty aur Babli' that just because they worked in the film didn't necessarily mean they were going to work here. It was a risk we took. We've never done salsa but we went ahead with it anyway, because we thought it would be fun.

It's difficult too. I've been trained for fifteen years to do a mudra a particular way. Suddenly, it was the same mudra but completely different in a kathak mode for our 'Pakeezah' number.

Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi said that if they make a film, they would choose their choreographer for it, despite them having lost out. Do you feel the same way?

Rajeshwari and Varun: It would depend on the intention of the film. We would love to work with people we like. But filmmaking isn't a solo performance. You need the best team to make sure you get the story across. Which means if the choreography fits, of course we'd do the same.

Do you believe in making emotional appeals to voters?

Rajeshwari: At school competitions between the various red, green, yellow or blue houses, didn't you also make specific appeals to your own house? We have to ask for votes and I wasn't very comfortable about that in the beginning. But I realised it was important.

Varun: A lot of people think that just because a particular couple is popular, there are a lot of viewers voting for them. But it backfires because then no one votes for them, thinking someone else already has. Every vote counts - it works just like an election. We are simply campaigning for our votes.

Does appearing as the first act work against a performer?

Rajeshwari: Perhaps. Every opening batsman has a tremendous amount of pressure on him. It's similar for us. It's a pressure that isn't necessarily good for us.

Varun: It could work against you, because perhaps the judges are waiting for something really fantastic to give more marks to. You never really know.