Harshal on Tina and Hussain!

By Subhash K Jha

Choreographer Harshal (speaking on behalf of his partner Vitthal ): "Everything was smooth- sailing at the finale. Earlier during the technical rehearsal we were nervous about the 14-minute medley. We didn't know if Hussain and Tina could keep the energy going for so long.

But they lived up to our and their own expectations. And to think we teamed up through a lottery. Thank God me and Vitthal came to know Hussain and Tina. We had been approached for Nach Baliye 1.

But we were busy with A R Rahman's concerts….Tina was a special challenge. She didn't know anyone on the set except her husband. It was a little problematic. But Tina opened up so much as a performer on stage."

"While I used to work with Terence Lewis, Vitthal has worked with Farah Khan. We met during a show by Terence in 2001. We've done a lot of shows together."

"We definitely benefited from the three judges Kunal Kohli, Malaika Arora and Saroj Khan's comments. We realized they were impressed by newer concept and the story ideas behind the items.

We moulded our choreography according to what they wanted. No matter how much we were in awe of our work, we had to keep our senses open to the judges's comments because they represented the popular opinion…It was like a military camp during Nach Baliye.

We slept five hours and rehearsed all the time. Nach Baliye has really helped us grow as choreographers."

"Are we put off by Tina and Hussain being at the forefront? Not at all. All the technicians in any endeavour function from behind the scenes. We've accepted that. Vitthal and I are overwhelmed by the recognition.Tina and Hussain have put our ideas forward on stage. They deserve every bit of the recognition.

They are among the most wonderful people I've come across in 25 years of my life. There's a positive aura around them. They're already carrying their bonding with us further. We're busy making new year preparations together. We're keeping our heads on our shoulders.It's important to keep growing."