A Bollywood dream come true

It’s a world of glamour and glitter, but if you follow your dream, you can make it in tinsel-town, writes NEHA

Iwas eight years old when I saw Salman Khan and my all-time favourite actress and dancer Madhuri Dixit in the film Dil Tera Aashiq

As I watched Madhuri perform a particular scene in the film, I was bowled over by how glamorous she looked, and thought it must be magical to be a part of Bollywood. It was at exactly that point, before Madhuri had even finished with the scene, that I secretly began dreaming a dream – to be a part of this world.

Today I can proudly say that my Bollywood dream has come true.

I left a career in accounting and finance to pursue my passion and follow my dreams all the way to the glitz and glamour of tinsel town.

As a professional Bollywood dancer, choreographer and instructor I have worked with some of the industry’s finest talents in several Bollywood films, songs/music videos, TV commercials, stage shows and TV shows.

My very first dance audition in Bollywood was a breeze, and within a week, I was picked by choreographers such as Ganesh Acharya, Bosco Caesar, Remo and Gita Kapur to join their dance troupes.

In the past six years, I have performed in several films and songs, like the Bol Bachan title song; Bhoothni Ke and Talli Hua from Singh Is King; Tak Dhina Dhin from Aladin and Pappu Can’t Dance Saala, among others.

Look out for The Man, starring Sunny Deol and Shilpa Shetty and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani with Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, both to be released shortly.

My most memorable experiences in Bollywood would have to be with - who elseAmitabh Bachchan. Just his presence makes the whole room buzz and it feels like you are part of something grand. He has a majestic personality which is aweinspiring, as much as the energy and effort he puts into his work even at this age and so far along in his career. It is amazing to watch him work.

Akshay Kumar and Ranbir Kapoor impressed me with their energy and passion. They have great personalities and were supersweet to me.

Most people in the industry can tell I am not a local and are intrigued to hear about my Bollywood journey. Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Diya Mirza, Govinda and Herman Baweja

JAIN

have all asked me why I left Australia to come to Mumbai, and wished me well. Deepika Padukone, Shilpa Shetty and Amrita Rao have complimented me on my dancing, and my favourite celebrity Shah Rukh Khan gave me a hug when he saw me again after performing in Chak De India!

My first shoot

I am extremely blessed to have had my very first shoot with legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan for the film Aladin which also starred Ritesh Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez. It was a 5-day shoot for the song Tak Dhina Dhin which is where Aladin (Ritesh Deshmukh) rubs the lamp and out comes the Genie (Amitabh Bachchan). With 100 dancers on set as well as the entire production team, hair and make-up artists, costume designers and spot boys, it was definitely a noisy and chaotic environment. But when Amitji walked onto the set, there would be pin drop silence. He has this aura around him which acts as a magnetic field and you can’t help but to be drawn towards him. You feel such immense respect towards him and everyone on set, especially me, was in complete awe. Sitting in the middle of the entire set, Amitji would rehearse his lines…and I would find myself staring at him. It was as if I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. It was embarrassing when he would look up from his script and catch me looking at him, but he would just give me a warm smile every time and an occasional wink!

With no previous rehearsals scheduled for this shoot, all of us dancers were learning the choreography for the song on set. We had to learn and remember blocks of up to 32 counts within 10 minutes and be perfectly synchronised with the other 99 dancers on set before it was time for Lights… Camera... Action!

And if you watch the song Tak Dhina Dhin you can see that every beat is choreographed and the song becomes faster and faster so a lot of energy is required. Sometimes we had to shoot the same section several times and each take would have to be like the first, with loads of energy and enthusiasm no matter how tired you were.

My most memorable moment on the set of Aladin was when I had a friend take a photo of Amitji and I. She was in such awe that by mistake she held the camera back to front and took a photo of herself! Amitji was very sweet; he said ‘Here we are posing and your friend’s taken a photo of herself!’

A typical day at work

7 am start, with an hour in make-up and hair. Then rush to collect costume (on Day 1 of the shoot the policy is first in best dressed…). Breakfast on set, then ready for work by 9 am. We learn the choreography or practise the steps while the camera’s set up, and then spend the rest of the day filming the song in parts with different camera angles. There are multiple takes for every section of the song, because for some reason or the other the shot is not perfect - the lighting is not right or the camera’s moved too fast or the actor gets the step wrong or one strand of the actress’s hair is out of place!

Every time the camera angles are changed, it’s a 15 minute break.

I spend these taking photos of the set, or if the moment is right chat with the celebrities on set! Lunch and chai-time are welcome breaks, and work continues till about 8.00pm. As pack-up is announced, there’s a stampede of dancers trying to get out of makeup and hang up costumes for the next day. Shoots are 12-hour shifts and take days… but it’s always worth it! Night shoots are great fun with a different vibe.

My all-time favourite shoot…

.. would have to be the title song for the film Bol Bachchan. The song is so catchy and although I heard it a hundred times just during rehearsals I would always want to hear it again. The choreography was also so much fun and dancing with 120 dancers amplified the energy and excitement. It was a grand and absolutely beautiful double storey set with many props and interesting elements and of course, the opportunity to work with Amitabh Bachchan for the second time was a dream come true. Amitji walked out of an enormous egg when making his first appearance in the song. We threw confetti into the air and had glitter falling on us from the sky which was out of this world! We played dhols right at the end of the song. Abhishek and Ajay sat on a life-size pendulum which was suspended 20 feet above ground level and swayed side to side!

It was also a blast to watch the chemistry between Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgn as Abhishek and Ajay are both pranksters on set and would play jokes on each other like scaring one another from behind or imitating each other’s dancing at which Amitji would just shake his head. My journey has been interesting and rewarding, and the road ahead is promising. I look forward to guiding others on their journey into the Bollywood world of glitz and glamour.

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