Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; July 8, 2018)

Their eyes twinkle bright with dreams of having made it big as dancers. Shakti and Mukti Mohan, who shifted base to Mumbai almost 13 years ago, believe that Maximum City has made everything happen for them.

No matter where her work takes her, it is Mumbai where Shakti likes to come back to at the end of the day. “I have so much admiration for this place. This gorgeous city has made my career and given me everything I ever imagined,” she says, adding that she loves the phrase ‘flirt with the city’.

“Dance and Mumbai go hand-in-hand,” she points out, and adds that it was the city that fuelled her desire to pursue dance as a career. Before I moved here, I had no desire to become a dancer. But when I saw the dance schools in the city and the massive opportunities, I decided to give it a shot. Mumbai being a land of unlimited possibilities gave me the confidence to go for it. Besides, my love for dance is an integral part of who I am,” explains Shakti, who also choreographs for films.

Adding to what her big sister has already said, dancer and actress Mukti asserts, “Zinda-Dilness! This is something that I understood and experienced in my first year of living here. I was stuck near St Xavier’s, my college, during the 2005 deluge, and a friend and her family took care of me. Later, I learnt it was just not me, but anyone who got stuck in the rains at the time, received help. One family gave shelter to my father, who was stuck in Santacruz. This says a lot about the humility of the city dwellers out here.”

FONDEST DANCE MEMORY IN THE CITY
This one’s easy for Shakti to answer, and she says, “My most memorable dance has been at the Andheri Sports Complex for the Dance India Dance finale, where I performed in front of my family, teachers and 25,000 people in the stadium. I won the show at the national level and that is my most unforgettable experience in Mumbai.”

Mukti, on the other hand, reminisces the day she got to be Madhuri Dixit. “I was 19, when I was informed about a dance audition at my college. I competed against 290 girls and won. This not only gave me an opportunity to dance like my idol Madhuri Dixit, but also get choreographed by Saroj Khan in a video. The song, Humko Aajkal Hai, was picturised on me; it was not only surreal, but the most alive I’ve ever felt on any set. A private phone call from Madhuri herself made it even more special. Such dreams only get fulfilled in Mumbai.”

THINGS THEY MISS DOING NOW
Before fame came knocking at her door, Mukti liked to dance her heart out on the streets, during Ganpati visarjan; a yearly ritual she now misses thoroughly. “Honestly, I miss doing the Ganpati dance on the road. When I was in college, I used to go to my friend’s house and dance on the road during visarjan. Come what may — rain, wind, traffic — we used to dance till we bid Bappa goodbye for the final time. I truly miss that now.”

Being in the limelight has its own downsides and Shakti knows it all too well. There are certain things that the dancer misses doing freely now — like enjoying roadside bhel puri, a ride in auto rickshaws and those crazy days of catching the local train and fighting for a spot to sit in the overcrowded ladies compartment.

THEIR FAVOURITE SPOTS
When asked to name her favourite places in the city, Shakti says, “I love to spend time in my studio. In fact, anyone who visits the studio finds it hard to believe that there can be a serene and peaceful space like that right in the middle of the city. Another place I like to visit is Bandra, it has amazing places to eat and hang out. Whenever I have outstation visitors outside, I take them to Bandstand and the Carter Road Promenade for a walk.”

A ‘pakki Mumbaikar’ at heart, Mukti likes to spend hours in places where street food and art are available in abundance. “My favourite places are Prithvi Cafe in Juhu and The Cuckoo Club in Bandra. Being active in the theatre circle for the last three years, I discovered some amazing interactive and self-learning spaces, that also offer great food. I have not only hogged and watched performances at these places, but have also performed there as well. There is so much to do at these places — from learning dance and rehearsing for a new theatrical piece to watching stand-up acts and eating tasty street food. I love that kind of energy exchange,” she signs off.