Karan Singh Grover, better known as Dr. Armaan from Dill Mill Gayye is dabbling in another onscreen profession. The telly doctor turns dancer on reality show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa.
And though the actor claims he's all left feet when it comes to dancing, we think that he'll have no problem securing enough votes from his huge female fan base.
According to me, Jhalak is a very different reality show. There are a lot of international dance forms that we can learn from like cha cha cha, salsa and samba. I am very excited because I'll get to learn these various dances.
How do you rate yourself as a dancer?
0.5. Maybe after the first episode, I'll get 1.
It is believed that an actor should first learn dancing and then acting. How is it that you don't know how to dance?
Mere khayalaat thode purane hain. Although I belong to this generation, I truly believe that an actor should be very well versed with acting and dancing is secondary. Nowadays, people learn dancing first and then acting but maine thoda ulta seekha, pehle acting seekha and now I am learning how to dance.
How difficult is it to dance without retakes?
It's not really difficult for me to dance. I don't have a problem in that area but I have a problem following instructions. If you tell me to do something in a particular way, then I'll have a mind block to that. I've been that way since I was a child. I never listened to any of my teachers. If someone tells me to do something in particular, I can't do it. But if you tell me to do whatever I feel like, then I'll do it properly. That's how it is.
So your choreographer is going to have a tough time with you!
Completely! She is already having one; I do listen to her but find it difficult to follow instructions. She's very patient that way.
I smile a lot (smiles) and I hope that helps me fetch some marks. That's why I am really thankful that Juhi is one of the judges.
Which of the three judges are you scared of?
I am scared of all of them actually, but Saroj ji is known to be strict and there's not much you can do about it as she comes from that background and she's been the greatest choreographer in India for a long time. I am just hoping that I make very few mistakes whenever she's watching me.
Who will be your toughest competition?
They are all tough; everyone knows how to dance. I mean, they all know at least the basics.
But you are with people like Ram Kapoor, who also claims that he is not a great dancer?
No, no! He dances. He's going to show everyone that he can dance. He is really big but he dances pretty well.
Do you think that the competition will give rise to negativity between you and the contestants?
I don't think that I come from that school of thought. I try and concentrate as much as I can on my work and I'm not bothered about what everybody else is doing. That's the way I've always been, I don't care about the others.
How comfortable are you with controversies?
Like I said before, I keep to myself. If I don't have anything productive to say, then I'd rather not say anything. I only say things when I feel that it's my place to say them.
Have you seen the previous episodes of Jhalak?
I watched last year when Ronit was there because he is a very close friend of mine. I've got the same choreographer as he had, Nicole. That's a good thing. So basically, I saw only Ronit's performances.
Who is your favourite dancer?
Shahid Kapur.
Are you practicing at home with your wife Shraddha?
No, I don't because I only get 10 minutes when she is awake. By the time I go back home, she's sleeping. I woke her up once and tried to show her the moves but she was too sleepy. I may teach her now.
How will you manage your time handling two shows?
I work all day, then I take a break for about 10 minutes and then I rehearse for about 3-4 hours in the night. I then sleep for 3-4 hours, wake up early and meet Shraddha before going back to work again.
Watch Dr. Armaan swirling to popular Bollywood tracks on Jhalak from February 27,2009 (Sony TV).