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Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; April 20, 2015)

Enlarge ImageEver since After Hrs first broke the news (August 14, 2014 — Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra compete for Ranveer Singh) of the dance-off between Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani, there has been excitement among Bollywood fans. Naturally so. How often do the audiences get to see two top actresses in ‘aa dekhein zara kis meing kisna hai dum’ mode? The last time two actresses competed on the dance floor was in SLB’s own Devdas and that was 13 years ago. While both Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai were stunning in the song, the jury is still out on who looked better and danced better. No wonder there is so much excitement about PC and Dips matching thumka for thumka in the same frame. Here’s everything you wanted to know about the song and didn’t know who to ask...

Dance master
While the last song was choreogrpahed by Saroj Khan, this one has been bagged by Remo D’souza, who is a bag of nerves as he gets ready to pit the two actresses against each other in a dance-off. Until now, the choreographer has been known for his western dance style. “This is my most exciting song so far,” is his own admission.

Dozen days!
The song will be shot over a period of 12 days in Mumbai. There are over 50 background dancers who have been rehearsing for weeks. Remo has designed the dance sequence along with two of his assistants. While most songs take three-five days to shoot, Remo confirms, “We haven’t decided on how long it will take but it will be roughly around 12 days of shooting.”

Dance Style
Remo reveals, “Though it is essentially a lavani number, it would not be wrong to call it a mix of folk and classical dance as well. It is never easy to work with SLB as he wants nothing short of perfection. Also, with the costumes, it is never easy to choreograph or perform for the actresses. This one has two actresses so it will require absolute perfection and synchronisation.”

Dedicated to Saroj Khan!
Though Bhansali insisted that Remo have some basic references, he didn’t want to take any inspiration because he wanted the act to have a fresh take. “I choreographed it by myself. One thing I was very particular about was not taking any reference points. When you take inspiration from something, it tends to look similar and that was the one thing I was sure that I didn’t want happening here,” says Remo, adding, “I would dedicate this song to Saroj Khan. She is my inspiration for anything classical.”

Priyanka v/s Deepika
Remo has no favourites. “Both are fantastic dancers so it will be difficult for me to pick and choose as to who is better. I have known both of them for a long time. Their chemistry is fantastic and they are both rehearsing very hard. I can promise you that it will be a treat for the eyes. What’s exciting is that it’s classical, not the Western style of dance I am known for. Plus, it has Deepika and Priyanka together. What more could I ask for?”