For Remo D’Souza, who moved to Mumbai, the city of dreams, from a small city like Jamnagar and started his career as a background dancer, it has been an eventful journey. While Remo is a sought-after choreographer, filmmaker, and reality show judge today, he says that there was a phase when he struggled to get a single meal a day and had no place to stay. He also overcame failures as a director and survived a heart attack in 2020.

Remo, who has directed films like the ABCD franchise, Street Dancer 3D, A Flying Jatt and Race 3, has also judged dance reality shows, from Dance India Dance (multiple seasons) to DID L’il Masters 5.

Talking about how the Coronavirus pandemic gave him time to analyze himself, he says, “The pandemic has been a learning phase for me. As work came to a halt, it gave me time to analyze myself. But in terms of my health, I suffered from cardiac problems and it was an eye-opener. It made me realize that we have just one life and it’s important to make the most of it, so that you never regret missing out on doing the right things. Over the years and even during my recovery, my wife Lizelle has always been my biggest support.”

He adds, “All my life, I have received a lot of negative reviews. But I always took them in a positive way. I was written off for the failed attempts as a director. But I took such negative feedback in a positive manner. It’s essential to keep learning and take the negative feedback in your stride so that you can become better.”