Nach 2 contestants are super cool dancers

Ace choreographer and Nach Baliye 2 judge Saroj Khan speaks about the show, the contestants and the far improved and innovative concepts and excellent execution which have made the second edition of the dance competition exciting and entertaining to watch. Excerpts from an interview:

Is Nach Baliye 2 better than its first season in terms of contestants, level of competition and variety?
Both are excellent. There is not much difference between the two editions of the show. The level of competition and variety are same. The only difference is that this time the contestants are better dancers. In the last edition most of the contestants were non-dancers who tried to dance and some of them did very well. But this year we have some real good dancers who are performing like real professionals, which makes the show better and more competitive.

But this time around there is lot of variety and performances are also a lot better...
There was lot of variety last time too. But this time choreographers' concepts and execution are very good. There's lot of novelty because of innovative concepts.

There are lot of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa elements like the gymnastics and flashes of Western and Latin dance. Is it deliberate?
There were Western elements last year too. Rajiv and Delnaz Paul's performances were mostly Western. Rajeshwari and Varun did Spanish dances. 'Jhalak' has had no impact on Nach Baliye and it has not made any difference to us either. I don't know why people are comparing the two shows.

Last time you were very harsh on choreographers. But this time there's a sea change in your level of criticism and attitude towards them. Comment.
I have always criticised bad choreography and appreciated choreographers when they have done a good job. Bad choreography shouldn't go without criticism because then choreographers will continue to commit the same mistakes. Besides they are being paid well. They better do a good job if they deserve to win the kind of prize money the channel is offering them.

Shouldn't the same logic apply to celebrity jodis also? They also need to consistently dance well to stake a claim to Rs 50 lakhs in prize money. Why are you soft on the contestants then?
It is the choreographer's job to make their jodis perform well. They should know how to highlight the strong points of their jodis and hide the weak points. It's the contestants who perform on screen and not the choreographers. So it is the jodis who the hold viewers' attention and make them sit and watch the show. It is they who bring in the TRPs and not the choreographers. So they deserve the prize money for all their efforts as well as getting the people to tune in.

Some of the contestants are of the view that choreographers should not be blamed if they can't dance well. Choreographers do their best but the jodis often let them down. Comment.
My job is to judge choreography. I am not interested if the contestants have done a bad job despite good efforts on the part of choreographers. I go by what I see. If I see bad choreography, I have to criticise it.