Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 8, 2020)

With the novel Coronavirus shutting down all production work in TV and films, reality shows are resorting to digital communication to create new content. Mirror had reported (May 5) that Neha Kakkar, along with singer-siblings Sonu and Tony, will feature as a judge on a one-ofits-kind virtual singing reality show. Now, we have learnt that the third season of another competitive reality show, Dance Deewane, recently kicked off with virtual auditions. Madhuri Dixit, Shashank Khaitan and Tushar Kalia are returning as judges for the new edition.

Madhuri believes that dance is a stress-buster that is keeping millions across the country motivated during these tough times. “One way to keep up the spirit is to let dance be a form of expression. I am thrilled that we managed to bring back another season of the show,” said the actress, who has recorded a special promo asking aspirants to upload videos on the Viacom 18 digital platform, the network that airs Dance Deewane on Colors.

Through the virtual auditions, the makers will select contestants for the final showdown, which will commence when film and television bodies decide to resume shoots, with Arjun Bijlani back as show host.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 5, 2019)

Director Siddharth Anand was always certain that War had to be a visual spectacle that would justify the on-screen union of two of Bollywood's hottest action heroes — Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff. If the October 2 release promises to have action sequences mounted on a grand scale, the director has spared no effort while filming the songs. Turns out, Ghungroo — a party number featuring Roshan and the movie's leading lady Vaani Kapoor — is the first Bollywood track to be shot on the beaches of Positano in the Amalfi Coast of Italy. A tourist hotspot, the beach was shut down by the makers as they filmed the number with the lead pair.

A source reveals, "The Vishal-Shekhar composition is a foot-tapping number. As soon as Siddharth heard the composition, he was clear that the song had to exploit Hrithik's dancing skills to the optimum while presenting a never-before-seen locale on the big screen. After discussing a few location options, Siddharth and choreographers Bosco-Caesar and Tushar Kalia thought the pristine beaches of Positano will be a perfect backdrop for the party track. Over 150 dancers were flown in from Milan to match steps with Hrithik."

Anand knows well the expectations that surround a dance song featuring Roshan. Pleased with how the track has shaped up, the director tells mid-day, "Everything about War is about the scale. With Ghungroo, we will present the most good-looking beach day party to the audience. No other film or artiste has ever shot a song on the Amalfi Coast because of the exclusiveness this destination brings. I'm glad we will be the first film to show the locale in all its glory." The team had reportedly shut down a bridge in Portugal to film an action sequence between Roshan and Shroff.

Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; August 23, 2019)

Choreographer Tushar Kalia is excited about working in the upcoming film, War, which stars Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor in main roles. He says, “I’ve done a solo song with Vaani, which has shaped up well, and it’s a big opportunity for me. We rehearsed for almost three months to perfect the moves and the special act in it.”

The dancer-choreographer, who is a judge on Dance Deewane 2 along with Madhuri Dixit-Nene, is happy with the response the dance reality show is garnering. He shares, “This season of the show is among the most popular programmes on Indian television. I love being a part of it, as I get to interact with a lot of talent. Since my journey has been similar — from being a contestant to a choreographer and then, to a judge — I understand the contestants’ struggles.”

Tushar feels that though dance has more scope as a profession now, it’s still not an easy path because of the huge competition. He says, “Indian dancers are going on the world stage and beating everyone even in international shows. Earlier, the ultimate praise for a dance performance was, ‘This is an internationallevel performance’. It’s time we changed that to ‘It’s an India-level performance’. We have so much talent in our country and we should encourage and nurture it.”

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 4, 2019)

Madhuri Dixit who was last seen on the big screen in Abhishek Varman’s period drama Kalank will soon be back on television. On Friday, the actress started shooting for season two of her reality show Dance Deewane which she judges with choreographer Tushar Kalia and director Shashank Khaitan. It will air in June.

A source from the sets informed that the shoot began at 11 am and went on till late night at Madh Island’s Erangal village which was given a new look for the shoot. “Madhuri who sports two different looks danced on the song 'Saara Zamana Dance Ka Deewana', the retro number from Amitabh Bachchan’s 1981 release Yaarana whose lyrics have been tweaked. Madhuri demonstrated some of the hook steps from her popular chart-toppers for the act, including 'Ek Do Teen' from Tezaab. Tushar and Shashank joined her later in the evening,” added the source.

The first season of the reality show that airs on Colors had contestants from different age groups, from children to senior citizens, showing off their dancing skills. It had premiered in June 2018.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 26, 2018)

It was nostalgia central on the sets of Madhuri Dixit’s dance reality show Dance Deewane on Monday when Raveena Tandon turned up for a guest spot. The actress joined Madhuri, fi lmmaker Shashank Khaitan and choreographer Tushar Kalia on the judges’ panel.

A source from the sets reveals that both actresses shook a leg to the chartbuster “Makhna” from Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, in which Raveena was paired with Govinda, while Madhuri made a special appearance in the song. They also danced to Raveena’s sensuous “Tip Tip Barsa Paani” from Mohra, with the other judges joining in. This was followed by an impromptu whistling competition between the duo, wherein they entertained everyone by whistling in different styles and Raveena remarking that both were pretty good at it.

Meanwhile, Tushar grabbed eyeballs with a pole-dancing act. Raveena cheekily pointed out that Tushar looks good dancing shirtless, sending everyone into peals of laughter.

Reza Noorani (BOMBAY TIMES; July 21, 2018)

From being a contestant on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa where he was judged by Madhuri Dixit, to judging Dance Deewane alongside the Dhak Dhak girl four years later, choreographer Tushar Kalia has come a long way. Ask him about his journey from a contestant to a judge, and he beams, “It was an unbelievable moment for me. I was extremely nervous when I met Madhuri during the shoot of the promos of Dance Deewane. I was constantly reminded about the time when I was on the other side of the panel four years ago, but she made me comfortable.”

On her part, Madhuri Dixit says, “Tushar has a great career ahead of him. He is a very talented choreographer and a good dancer. He is doing a wonderful job and I wish him all the best for his upcoming endeavours. Sharing screen space with him on the show has been fun.” Director Shashak Khaitan, who has worked with Tushar in Dhadak, says, “He is gifted. On the set of the reality show, he has mostly been silent, but at the same time, focused on doing his job as a judge. Over time, I have seen him getting chattier and opening up with people around him. He has really grown as a person. He is not just talented, but also a great human being.”

Hailing from Delhi, Tushar trained for 12 years in various dance forms, including Mayurbhanj Chhau, Kalaripayattu and contemporary dance. Ever since he gained popularity with reality shows, the artiste has continued to grow professionally. Karan Johar gave him his first big Bollywood break as a choreographer in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). Since then, Tushar has choreographed for films like Ok Jaanu (2017), Half Girlfriend (2017), Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017), Hate Story 4 (2018) and a song in the recently-released Dhadak. Currently choreographing a big-ticket project that stars Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Rani Mukerji, Tushar is also continuing his stint as a judge on Dance Deewane.

While he has established himself as a choreographer, his eyes are set on directing a film eventually. He feels that direction and choreography are similar. He shares, “When we choreograph a song, we get to know how to play with the characters, the camera angles and how to extract emotions from the artistes, which is the most important thing.”

He cites the song Channa Mereya from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil as an example and explains, “In the song, we only had a basic hook step. But the character goes through a journey, so you have to move the story along and explore the emotional graph of the characters. That way, I am not just giving them steps, but actually directing the song. Dance sequences are easy because you know where to give the cuts. Emotional scenes are not, but I enjoy the challenge. So, I feel that directing is the next logical step for choreographers.”

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 13, 2018)

Karan Johar, whose 1998 directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji, completes 20 years in October, is marking the milestone with plans for a sequel. The filmmaker relayed the news during a guest appearance on Madhuri Dixit’s dance reality show, Dance Deewane, along with Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, the leads of his upcoming production, Dhadak.

Incidentally, the film’ director, Shashank Khaitan, is a co-judge on the show’s panel, alongside Madhuri and choreographer Tushar Kalia. Describing the episode, which was filmed on Tuesday, as a trip down memory lane, a source from the show’s set informs, “Karan made his entry emulating Shah Rukh Khan’s introduction scene from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, with Tushar and Shashank welcoming him with an ‘aarti ki thali’, a la Jaya Bachchan in the family drama. Soon after, two young contestants – Shaurya and Alok – performed an act to celebrate 20 years of his directorial debut, recreating some memorable moments from the film. The 46-year-old KJo was left teary-eyed by the end of the performance and remarked that it makes him feel 'old'.  He took everyone by surprise by confessing that the act had inspired him to think of a sequel and joked that he might even consider casting Shaurya and Alok in it.”

While everyone on set was curious to know more, the filmmaker kept his plans under wraps, going on to shake a leg on “Zingaat” with Madhuri instead. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai revolved around SRK’s Rahul, Kajol’s Anjali and Rani’s Tina and narrated the story of college best friends.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; May 25, 2018)

Madhuri Dixit-Nene is super busy. She has a Marathi film, Bucket List, releasing today and has two Hindi movies, Total Dhamaal and Kalank, coming up. She is also returning to TV after two years with Dance Deewane, as a judge. But despite her hectic schedule, Madhuri’s energy is at an all-time high. Her smile, of course, is infectious, and her enthusiasm is contagious. Ask her what brings her back to TV and without blinking she says, “Dance.

That’s my passion. Also, this is the first dance show where three generations are going to be performing on the same platform. So, there will be a kid, his father and grandfather all three competing together and with each other,” she enthuses.

Having shot for a couple of episodes, the actress shares that she was blown away to see a 70-year-old woman on a wheelchair getting up and dancing for three-four minutes! “She said she does it every day for two minutes because of her love for dancing but on the show, she stood up and danced for four minutes! We got worried, but she was so good. Then there is a visually-impaired girl who is doing her visharad in Kathak, and is brilliant,” says Madhuri.

Not only that, Madhuri is all praises for her co-judges Shashank Khaitan and choreographer Tushar Kalia. “They call themselves my bodyguards. But I am going to miss Karan (Johar) — his sense of humour and energy. However, I have told Karan, ‘Shashank is your competition’. The two of us hit it off from the time we met. Sometimes one takes time to warm up, but Shashank is an effusive character and has a great sense of humour. Tushar was among the top three choreographers when I did Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and it is great to have him as one of the judges,” she smiles. 

Ask the Dhak-Dhak actress about how Bollywood dancing has transformed over the years and she quips that with every new generation of choreographers, there has been a change. “Bollywood dancing has always been a melting pot of dances from all over the world — classical, semi-classical, folk from India, twist, there was salsa at one point. But now, it is all about hip hop, popping, locking, crunching and krumping. However, what is heartening is that many of those who appear on the show perform Indian classical dances,” she shares. In fact, the diva credits reality shows for giving dance more value and respectability. “People have a medium to show off their talent and we have a platform to discover them. They come from small centres and villages and mind you, they are all learning from the internet and doing an excellent job. Today, dance is placed on a different platform because of the shaadis and functions where you need choreographers and dancers. It has become a lucrative profession,” she adds.

Does she also see a lot of dance-based films being made now? “I did Dil Toh Pagal Hai, which was dance-based. Even in Hollywood a Step Up, Chicago or La La Land is made once in a while among so many other films. We have had ABCD and its sequel. So, one or two such movies have always been made. But Bollywood dancing is famous otherwise also — now even ice skaters are doing it and other international artistes are including it in their repertoire,” she says proudly.

Not just dance, Madhuri is happy with the kind of roles that are being written for women in films. “We are no longer seen just as victims or avengers — the stereotypes. Writers are seeing women as characters with intelligence, as cerebral people. Tumhari Sulu was a nice film, so was Mom and now Raazi,” she signs off.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; February 15, 2018)

Sridevi was known as much for her graceful dance moves as for her acting chops. And looks like it holds just as true with her daughter Janhvi Kapoor. The youngster, who is currently filming her debut film Dhadak opposite Ishaan Khatter, recently wrapped up the shoot of a special dance number and has wowed everyone on the sets with her moves. Tushar Kalia, who choreographed the song, says, “I have shot two commercials with Sridevi ma’am and now Karan sir [Karan Johar] gave me the opportunity to choreograph a song with Janhvi. Being Sridevi ma’am’s daughter, she has dance in her genes. But at the same time, she brings her own style and attitude, too.”

He is quick to add how many in the unit mention that Kapoor is “a spitting image of Sridevi ma’am.” Considering Kapoor’s foray into Bollywood is much awaited, Kalia admits there is tremendous pressure on the film’s team. “This is a big debut, so there is the responsibility of presenting her in a certain way. But Janhvi is a confident girl,” he says.

Having worked in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) previously, he is grateful to mentor Karan Johar for roping him in for Dhadak as well. Recollecting his first day on the set of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Kalia says, “Ranbir [Kapoor] told me that he was looking forward to work with me. That gave me confidence.”

The Hindi remake of Sairat has added a racy track which was picturised on Boney Kapoor and Sridevi’s daughter recently
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 6, 2018)

While all the four chartbusters in Nagraj Manjule’s Marathi superhit, Sairat — “Yad Lagla”, “Zhingaat”, “Atach Baya Ka Bavarla” and the title track “Sairat Zhala Ji” — were picturised on its leads, Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar, Karan Johar’s Hindi remake Dhadak has added a racy dance number to the film’s soundtrack, featuring only Janhvi, which was shot recently. It is set in Rajasthan and Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s 21-year-old daughter rehearsed for it without any breaks for two days straight with choreographer Tushar Kalia before filming it recently in Mumbai over a 24-hour schedule.

“The song which focuses only on Janhvi does not have a name yet nor has it been recorded. We worked with the scratch, the singer will be finalised shortly. Since it’s a new addition, I had no reference point from the original. Fortunately Janhvi’s an extremely confident girl and didn’t say 'no' to any of the difficult steps,” informs Tushar, adding that the actress insisted on completing rehearsals in one stretch and he had to actually request her to take a break.

In the past, Tushar has choreographed for Sridevi in a commercial. He points out that the veteran actress is a trained classical dancer and though Janhvi isn’t a professional, she’s very big on prep and has inherited her mother’s talent while having her own style. The choreographer draws parallels between the Dhadak set and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai, on which he got his first break. Tushar was a finalist on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and the stage director on India’s Got Talent, two shows which Karan judges.

“KJo is my mentor, I still consult him on everything. He helps me with the choreography. Many of the steps in the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title song were Karan’s original moves. He was dancing through the schedule. The Dhadak set was no different. Like Karan, Shashank Khaitan too is very knowledgeable about dance,” he applauds.