Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 5, 2018)

On the last day of shooting for the recreated chartbuster “Mundiya Tu Bach Ke Rahi”, the leading man of the Sajid Nadiadwala-produced Baaghi sequel, Tiger Shroff, asked choreographer Rahul Shetty to meet him in his room after pack-up. “When I went to see him he presented me with a gift-wrapped box. On my birthday, July 11, Tiger had ordered a cake for me and hosted a celebration, asking me repeatedly what I wanted as a gift. I hadn’t asked him for anything then but to my surprise, when I opened the box, I found an iPhone X in it which he said was a ‘guru dakshina’,” reminisces Rahul, adding that Tiger has always been appreciative of young, enthusiastic talent like him. For the young choreographer, Tiger’s been “a brother” in many ways, recommending his work and discussing new dance styles with him. In the past the duo has collaborated on the actor’s first T-Series single “Zindagi Aa Raha Hu Main”, and A Flying Jatt’s chartbuster “Beat Pe Booty”.

Now, for Baaghi 2, Rahul has also choreographed a romantic track featuring Tiger and Disha. It has been filmed across many locations, including a university in Pune and a beach in Goa. Rahul marvels at the actor’s energy. “It’s a challenge working with him as he’s trained in dance, action, gymnastics. His body can pick up any move. There was a lot of hardwork put into creating “Beat Pe Booty” and once I earned his trust, it was a smooth ride with 'Mundiyan',” he signs off.