Hiten, Gauri upset at personal remarks

According to judge Saroj Khan the couple were 'hip, not hop' on the first episode of Nach Baliye 2

Vickey Lalwani
vickey.lalwani@ mid-day.com

While many have put their money on the most popular jodi, Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan, judges Saroj Khan, Malaika Arora and Kunal Kohli would beg to differ. The couple were at the rough end of the judges' stick in the opening round of the competition.
The couple's dance on the Bluff Master song Right Here Right Now didn't impress them much. Saroj Khan was her usual blatant self, and said, "You were only hip, not hop."
Getting personal
When contacted, Hiten said that they are not professional dancers. "Considering the fact that it was the first round, the judges should have been a bit lenient. Else, the morale of the participants tends to go down. We did our best."
Gauri said, "The judges have been very harsh to everyone. And since they are the judges, you really can't say anything."
Gauri added that she didn't mind if the judges said negative things about their performance, as long as they didn't get personal. Gauri said, "It's wrong to get personal. Everybody is a celebrity there. The channel has called us, we didn't go to them to ask for work. At the end of the day, barring a few participants who are also professional dancers, most of us are only actors. The competition is about actors trying to dance. You can't expect us to perform like dancers. It will never happen."
Saroj, on her part, stuck to her guns. She said, "Gauri danced to a hip hop number. She was only using her hips and not doing the proper movement. Ditto for Hiten. They are good, but they have to try harder."
Returns to Kyunki...
Gauri is back in Ekta Kapoor's flagship Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She said, "I'm shooting for Kyunki as and when I can. With Nach Baliye 2 rehearsals going on, Balaji time is flexible. I am enjoying my return, which has a mystery element to it."