Actress shot for the recreated version of a ’90s song recently
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 18, 2018)

Last month, Isabelle Kaif and her co-star Sooraj Pancholi wrapped up the shooting of Stanley D’costa’s Time To Dance.

Now, Mirror has learnt that the Bhushan Kumar and Remo D’souza production will also feature a recreated version of the song, “Adayein Bhi Hain,” from the 1991 Pooja Bhatt and Aamir Khan-starrer, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin. Isabelle and Sooraj recently shot for the new version.

A source reveals, “It was shot over a few days at Dover in Kent. It has been given a contemporary twist with new lyrics and beats and was choreographed by Stanley himself, who has previously assisted Remo D’souza on his songs.”

According to the source, actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh is also on-board the film to give playback to a song, which is picturised on Sooraj and composed by Tanishk Bagchi.

In her acting debut, Isabelle plays a competitive ballroom and Latin dancer, while Sooraj is a street dancer showcasing Salsa, Zumba and Bachata styles. It also features Waluscha De’Sousa and Saqib Saleem.

The actor plays her love interest in Isabelle Kaif’s B’wood debut
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 30, 2018)

Saqib Saleem has landed two big-ticket projects. While the actor will join the cast of Dabbang 3, which goes on the floors in September, he recently started shooting for Stanley D’Costa’s Time to Dance opposite Waluscha De Sousa in London. The film marks Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle’s Bollywood debut opposite Sooraj Pancholi.

A source reveals, “Saqib joined the shoot this week. He plays Waluscha’s love interest. While the model actress, Isabelle and Sooraj play dancers, Saqib will be seen as a lawyer who is besotted by Waluscha. He goes all out to woo her, but she plays hard to get.” The film, which kicked off in early June with a start-to-finish schedule, is expected to wrap up by July-end. It is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Remo D’souza.

Time to Dance director D’costa, when contacted, confirmed the news of Saqib joining the team. Speaking about the ongoing shoot, he said, “Seeing their performances I can safely say that my cast is going to be a surprise package. The other actors should watch out for Isabelle, she is splendid. We are on a 50-day schedule and have been shooting in Central London as well as in and around the city. So far it’s been a blast.”

Mirror had earlier reported (April 30) that Isabelle and Waluscha play sisters in the film who are competitive ballroom and Latin dancers.

Waluscha De Sousa returns to the screen after two years with a musical which demands a lot more from her as an actor and dancer
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 22, 2018)

Waluscha De Sousa is gearing up for a comeback on the Hindi screen with Stanley D’Costa’s directorial debut, Time To Dance, which also features Sooraj Pancholi and will introduce Katrina Kaif’s younger sister Isabella. The model who turned actress with the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Fan, plays Isabella Kaif’s older sister and a dancer. The musical showcases different dance forms, including the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Cha Cha, Samba, Rhumba, Paso Doble and Jive, and Waluscha has been training hard.

“It’s wonderful working with Stanley and Remo (Stanley was choreographer Remo D’Souza’s assistant and he is producing the film with Bhushan Kumar). I love dancing and am learning Ballroom and Latin forms for the film. It’s something I’ve wanted to do all my life,” exults Waluscha, adding that since they play competitive Ballroom and Latin dancers in the film, it’s not normal Waltz and Foxtrot. “The body language is different.”

She’s trained in Indian classical dance like Bharatanatyam and Kathak but never in Ballroom dancing. She’s still getting the hang of this form of dance and at times co-star Sooraj has to bear the brunt of her fumbling. “I try keeping my heels off Sooraj’s feet as much as possible, but the steps are so quick that sometimes I end up squashing his toes. Poor guy!” she laughs, even as she sympathises with his plight.

Quiz her on her reel life sister and she quips, “I love Isabella’s energy.”

Speaking of her journey in the film industry, Waluscha reveals that she enjoyed her years as a model and wouldn’t change that for anything. But she admits that people still perceive that models can’t act and since she comes with that stamp, she has to prove it wrong. Is she more confident about her acting abilities post her debut turn, you wonder, and she laughs, “I think I’m more nervous now, this film requires a lot more of me as an actor and dancer. Once we start shooting in London, we will know if all the effort has paid off. For now, I’m just glad Remo and Stanley saw potential in me.”

Growing up in Goa, the actress admits she didn’t get the kind of exposure someone living in a bigger city would get and, as a result, things happened to her much later in life. “Everyone’s journey is different and my simplicity helps me keep my balance in this crazy city. But I still have a lot more to learn,” Waluscha acknowledges. Surely, she learnt something working with Bollywood’s Badshah? She smiles, “I was figuring things out back then but I have learnt from Shah Rukh to give your 100 per cent and let the moment consume you, nothing else matters.”

Katrina Kaif’s sister’s film takes off in April-end with a 50-day schedule
Shravan Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 29, 2018)

Mirror had earlier reported (February 6) that Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle is to be introduced opposite Sooraj Pancholi in Stanley D’costa’s directorial debut, Time To Dance. Now, we have learnt that the film is scheduled to roll in the second half of April in London.

A source close to the development revealed to Mirror, “The film has been in the pipeline for more than a year and it is finally taking off. Isabelle and Sooraj have been practicing for their turns as it will test their dancing skills in different forms, from Salsa to Paso Doble.”

In the film, the debutante will be seen as a competitive ballroom and Latin dancer, while her co-star will play a street dancer showcasing the Salsa, Zumba and Bachata styles. “I can’t wait to start work on my first Hindi film. We will be in London for around 50 days and will shoot in a start-to-finish schedule,” Isabelle informed.

Confirming the news, Bhushan Kumar, who is producing the dance-drama alongside Remo D’souza, told Mirror, “This is the first time a Hindi film will showcase so many dance forms. Stanley has been working rigorously with Isabelle and Sooraj for the last two months. We are looking at releasing the film in the last quarter of 2018.”

D’costa is all praise for his leads. “The dance forms are not easy to pick up but Sooraj and Isabelle have made immense progress. They look fabulous together in a dance film with a love story woven into it,” he said.

Sooraj informs that Time To Dance also features a mix of ballroom dance styles like Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep as well as Latin dance forms like Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive and describes it as a challenging film. “I have fallen sick after training for 10-12 hours every day but now my body is getting used to it. It has been around three months since Isabelle and I started training for the film. It feels like going back to school,” he smiles.

The musical marks his choreographer-assistant Stanley D'Costa's directorial debut
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 17, 2016) 



Mirror had earlier reported (June 8) that Remo D'souza is kick-starting prep on his yet-to-be-titled next, featuring Sooraj Pancholi and Ajay Devgn. Now, we hear the choreographer-director is also producing a musical which launches his choreographer-assistant, Stanley D'Costa as director and features dance reality show winners, Shakti Mohan and Salman Yusuff Khan, in the lead.

"It's a love story with ballroom dancing at its core. I had planned to make a film around the dance form during ABCD in 2012, it is a long-standing dream. We will go on the floors by the year-end. Some well-known international dancers will be flown in to be part of the film," Remo informed Mirror.

The 44-year-old dancer-filmmaker reveals that his leading lady who features alongside him on his dance-based reality show, Dance Plus, was an obvious choice for the film.

"I have seen Shakti grow from a contestant to a mentor on the show. I always believed that she was made for the big screen. I promised to cast her in one of my films when she won her first reality show. I'm fulfilling that promise now," he signs off.