Times are a changing and new career vistas and avenues are finding acceptance, finally. "My dad tolerated my dance-music-choreography regime only while I was in college, but when I decided to making a career out of it, he put his foot down," says Punit Pathak, participant of the Lux Dance India Dance programme on Zee TV, in Lucknow on a promotional tour on Tuesday. His father is the president of Maharashtra Textile Traders' Association and expected him to follow suit, says Punit. "But once I cleared the auditions for Dance India Dance and a few episodes were on air, people were complimenting him everywhere and his moustache-ends were bristling with pride," says the nimble-footed performer who has some experience of assisting choreographer Terence, one of the judges on the show. "It was an anti-climax when I went to the team of Remo D'Souza...everyone expected Terence to continue to be my mentor," says Punit, a globe-trotter, who has done stage shows in every continent, but has never been to Uttaranchal from where his mother hails. "I would love to tour Garhwal," he sighs.
I love to groove to hip-hop most and my idol is Wade Robson, the choreographer of several Britney Spears music videos," shares the dancer who hopes the show would prove to be the stepping stone to the success he dreams of.
"I am a Gujarati settled in Mumbai, but votes coming in from all parts of India, including UP, is heartwarming." Punit joined Dekh Bhai Dekh director Anand Mahendroo in his film, but "unfortunately, the project got shelved. May be, some day I will direct my own film."