SS:I am glad it was us

I am glad it was us

The hit jodi of Nach Baliye, Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar speak on their victory

Subhash K Jha

Sachin: I didn't feel any regret when Manish and Poonam – our competitors for the finals – lost to us. Why should I? Nach Baliye was a competition and there could be only one winner. I'm glad it was us. We worked hard for it. Besides, the decision was taken through an audience poll. We respect the audiences' choice. We had butterflies in our stomach when we went on stage for the finale. We always felt every performance was our last. That's what made us last so long. After the grand finale last night, I went and hugged my rival Manish while my wife hugged Poonam.

All through Nach Baliye, we were constantly reminded that we were the oldest couple in the reckoning; something I didn't mind being reminded as it was the truth. It spurred us on to work harder. I'd like to think my wife is more adventurous than I am…she married me, didn't she? Nach Baliye taught us that rhythm and pace are essential not only in life and marriage but also in dance. It's all about getting the timing right. We are asked what we'd do with the prize money. It will be used for our daughter's education. There's no greater pleasure in life than to give your offspring the best you can.

Supriya: We haven't slept for two nights. I have play performance tomorrow and I think I'll catch up on my sleep only after that. Right now we're swamped with attention. I love it! Last evening when we went on stage I was so scared. Would we be able to perform live for twelve minutes? We've been rehearsing for so long I felt that the finale too was a rehearsal! Seriously, we never thought we would win. We always went on stage wondering if it would be our last performance. Our competitors, Manish and Poonam were equally good. And although everyone kept saying we had an edge, I felt they could easily outdo us in the finale. Varun Bandola and Rajeshwari could have given us a run for our money. They were excellent, and so were the other couples. We were just lucky to get so far, and actually win the prize money. We're constantly being asked what we'd do with the prize money. Very honestly it hasn't sunk in yet. Of course we will use it for our daughter's education. But beyond that we may just decide to put it all away in a post office, to remind us of what the whole experience meant to us.