“Dancers are like athletes of God,” said Albert Einstein once. And, many actors found their mojo when they learnt to dance and used it to further their art.
Circa 1984: When Madhuri Dixit made her debut with the Rajshri film Abodh opposite Tapas Paul, a film reviewer wrote, “If Madhuri Dixit goes on to be a star, I will stop reviewing films.” The reviewer never stopped writing but Madhuri became a huge star.
It was a dance number that showed the world what she could do. Madhuri started dancing at the age of three and is a trained classical dancer who learnt Kathak. But it was the Ek Do Teen song from the film Tezaab that saw her at number one. “The dancing in that song proved to be a game changer as many filmmakers who were working with me wanted a dance number in the film after that. It was during the filming of Tridev and we were shooting Gazar ne kiya hai ishara... with Sonam, Sangeeta Bijlani and me. Back then Sonam was a big star and she was in the centre. When Ek Do Teen became a hit, Sonam and I switched positions. That is what one hit dance number can do,” says Madhuri.
The ones that aspire to be like Madhuri too have had similar dreams. Sharvari Wagh, actress and granddaughter of former Maharashtra CM Manohar Joshi, also aspired to be like Madhuri in her dancing. “She is an inspiration for us all. I have danced to her songs since childhood. I started a while ago after so many years of wanting to learn Kathak. But every time I would see her songs or even snippets on Instagram or dance shows, I would Google Kathak teachers to start learning. I am trying to pick it up and learn it on my own. I am also learning hip hop and I know that one dance can change your life,” she says.
Much before Madhuri was a sensation, Hema Malini, too realised that it was the dance that got her into movies. “Dance was the focus of my entire life — from Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak to dancing in films. I have done them all and that is because of my gurus. I was five when I put on the ghungroos and they hurt badly, but I could not take them off. I realised that I was dancing in shows after that and picked up all the steps and soon I was performing in public too. Once when I was dancing, Vyjayanthimalaji saw me and later shook my hands. I knew something had changed,” Hema says.
Choreographer and filmmaker Prabhu Deva was bad in studies and was assisting his dancer father Mugur Sundaram when he was barely in his teens. When he failed in college his dad told him to follow his heart. Prabhu, who learnt Bharatnatyam from Dharmaraj and Udipi Lakshminaryanan, is forever indebted to them for giving his life a new step. “I used to wake up early and go for Bharatnatyam classes at 6.30 am. Honestly, in those days I felt bored and did not concentrate even doing Michael Jackson steps in between. But it is dancing that has changed me and made me what I am today, it is my life,” he says.
Sunny Leone, who travelled continents to become an Indian actress working across languages, was not a dancer earlier. “Before I came to Bollywood, I never danced at all. All I knew were two steps. I started dancing and I realised I enjoyed the music more, let me come out of my shell more. Honestly, dancing is not easy. Dancing on the spot doesn't come to me. I try to be a good student and learn my steps properly. I rehearse and practice a lot until I feel it looks nice. But hey, dancing has changed my life!” she says.
