Mithun's Interview on DID(Photos)

The original king of disco hung up his dancing shoes a long time ago. Instead of wowing audiences with his hip-and-foot movements, Mithun Chakraborty went on to entrance them with his masterful performances in front of the camera?Guru and Chandni Chowk To China being the most recent examples.

But Zee persuaded Mithunda to give dancing another shot?as the grandmaster of their dance reality show Dance India Dance. We caught up with the star on the sets of the show and quizzed him about why he changed his mind and what he expects from the show. Excerpts

Could you tell us about Dance India Dance? Out of thousands and thousands of aspirants, we have chosen the best 18 dancers. We have three masters?Remo D'Souza, Terrance Lewis and Geeta Kapoor?choreographers who are making a name for themselves in their field, to teach the 18 contestants. They are being trained to perform to the best of their abilities. And, of course, I am the grandmaster.

Our aim is very clear?we are not looking for mere dancers. We are looking for a star, a dancing star.

You are the grandmaster of the show. What is your role in the show? I am here as the voice of reason. My role is not limited to commenting on the performances in each episode. When the elimination process starts, that's when the grandmaster truly comes into play.

Today, on most reality shows, because of janta voting, deserving candidates are eliminated. But on Dance India Dance I have the veto power. If I feel that a vote out is not fair, I can bring the contestant back. I am also the one who decides which contestants come back in the wild card round.

Were you part of the audition process, too? What did you think of the talent that tried out for the show? Yes, I was a part of the audition process. I didn't travel to all the cities, I only went to Kolkata, because I didn't want to interfere too much. I told the masters to choose the best and, out of the 18, I would give them six contestants each to train.

But I kept an eye on all the auditions, though they didn't know that I was doing it. [Laughs.] I had to make sure that nothing unfair, like recommendations, took place.

Among the 18, do you have a favourite?

I shouldn't say that. [Smiles.] All the 18 are very good.

Do you think the fact that there are no celebrities on this show, unlike a Jhalak Dikhhla Ja or a Nach Baliye, is a positive or a negative?

I think that is the most positive thing. Here the common man feels that he is the star. That is the best part of this show and that is why I am here. I've been getting offers since a long time now to judge those kinds of shows. But I wanted to do something where the common man was involved. Many of the talents we found would not have got a platform like this in their lives had it not been for Dance India Dance.

Had there been a similar reality show when you were young, would you have participated?

Oh yes, I would have definitely participated. [Laughs.] No doubt about it. I think my journey would have been smooth then.

Salman Khan was on this show, the grand premiere of Dance India Dance. Yes, it was a pleasure having him on the first show. Salman and I are like brothers. He respects me like an elder brother. His presence on the show helped to ignite the talent. You could feel the energy?everyone was excited to perform before him.

I think Salman has been a great source of inspiration to so many people. Even me [smiles]. I felt nice that he came for the premiere. The show has taken off very well and hopefully that will continue.

There are so many reality shows on TV?most of them music reality shows but a few are dance related, too. How does Dance India Dance rate against the competition?

We have already hit the bull's eye. We have the highest TRP of any reality show right now! That says it all.