When television actor Gurmeet Choudhary waltzes into a room, all eyes turn to him. Walking comfortably behind his wife, TV actor Debina Bonnerjee, he greets everyone with a friendly "Helloji". The couple was in Delhi to announce their participation in Season 6 of the dance reality show Nach Baliye. Before Choudhary settles down to speak about his current fixation for dance, he asks for the air-conditioner to be turned down. Bonnerjee breathes a sigh of relief. "He was very smart to bring a jacket along. I may have to wrap this table cloth around me," she jokes. Choudhary laughs the loudest.
"This is my second dance reality show, and this time I get to dance with my wife. We've been practising for four-five hours daily," says Choudhary, the winner of Season 5 of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. He is making a habit of winning dance shows and even starred in few episodes of Nach Baliye-Shriman Shrimati, where he was the star performer. His TV innings however, started from a route absolutely unfamiliar to dance " with a negative role in the Tamil show Mayavi, where Bonnerjee was the female lead. They both, then, landed an audition for Ram-Sita in the adaptation of Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana, and there was no turning back. A few daily soaps (Geet"Huyi Sabse Parayi and Punar Vivah for Choudhary, and Chidiya Ghar for Bonnerjee), and a combined reality show (Pati, Patni aur Woh) later, they have reached where they've always wanted to be. "We were shooting for Mayavi in Bangalore, during the first season of Nach Baliye. I used to think to myself, if I become a successful actor I can participate in Nach Baliye with her," says Choudhary.
He has tried to balance out his acting assignments with his dancing shows but it hasn't been easy. After Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, Choudhary decided that he would take a bit of a break from daily soaps. "It was insane to be a part of Punar Vivah, and Jhalak... simultaneously. I would secretly take naps in hidden corners, during light changes. The minute someone found me, there were a million things to do," he adds. His love for dance is infectious. "I've done every style of dancing " be it jazz, rumba or hip-hop. This time, with Debina, I want to try something new. The dancers in our industry are so fit, and as actors, it can be very time-consuming to have a proper work-out schedule. But dance is a beautiful form of workout," he says.
Anupamaa
