Arjun Bijlani shares his experiences on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 with Angela Paljor
What made you say yes to Jhalak Dikhhla JaaIJ
Dancing is something I enjoy and have been doing non-professionally. I am in a profession where dancing is an integral part. But due to the hectic work schedule, one hardly gets time to go and learn dancing. Jhalak... provides me a great platform to enhance my dancing skills.
What form of dancing are you fond ofIJ
I love Bollywood and that is what I have been performing at award functions, where there is a mix of Bollywood and Salsa etc. On this show, one has to learn dance forms in a limited time frame. Since dancing is not something that can be learnt overnight, it is the journey that matters.
Who do you think is the strongest contenderIJ
Salman Yousuf Khan, who is a choreographer and now a contestant. Even Shantanu Maheshwari is a great dancer. People like Nora Fatehi and him have been dancing for years and are trained dancers. Only Shakti Anand and I who are new.
What has been the hardest partIJ
Few days back, I was trying a stunt and landed on my pelvic bone. I was taken to the hospital and there were numerous bruises. But once you are ready with your performance it nullifies everything as it gives you a high and a sense of satisfaction.
What happens if a contestant is injuredIJ
That depends on the injury. If the doctor tells you not to dance, then you can’t. The show is competitive, so one has to manage the injuries. If one misses rehearsals, then the performance suffers.
How flexible is the contract in case a contestant wants to quitIJ
In case of a serious injury, it’s a personal choice one has to make. It’s not about the contract but being humane. The teams of Jhalak..., BBC Worldwide and Colors are always concerned. There is a doctor and a physiotherapist on call all the time. I don’t think that the team would want partic-ipants to injure themselves further by continuing.
How’s your experience been with Bhawna Khanduja, your choreographerIJ
She is one of the best on the show and explains the steps at length to ensure that I get them right. She is flexible and open to ideas. She understands me well and trains me accordingly. But there are times when she pushes me as well.
If you win, will you follow your passion of dancingIJ
It is not about winning the show. Whenever my journey ends in Jhalak..., which I hope it will with the trophy in my hand, I will be a better dancer than before.
How do you decide the right costumesIJ
The designers watch the performances and the various acts. They give costumes that complement the performance. They use the right fabric so that we don’t feel uncomfortable and our dancing doesn’t get affected. Both Jerry and Ken have been on the show for a long time and are really experienced.
How do you prepare yourself for the actsIJ
We all work with a certain psychology and tell ourselves that there is no choice and we have to do it. Once we start enjoying, we want to put up a great performance every week. The competition gets tougher every week, so we push ourselves. More than competing with anybody, it is about testing one’s own limit.
What do you think of the judges’ decisionsIJ
Karan Johar is very honest and looks at a performance in totality. Ganesh Hedge has his eye on choreography and goes into details. Jacqueline Fernandes is lenient and sees the performance from a completely different angle. I don’t think there is any bias.
Any other show that you’re doingIJ
I want to focus on Jhalak... and give it my best. I have been getting offers but if I do a show then I won’t be able to rehearse for more than two hours with the shooting and travelling. I am really happy I am not doing any shows right now.
How has your experience been so far playing very different charactersIJ
Acting is a bigger passion for me than dancing. When I play a character, I am always working on how to make it likable. I don’t want to look like Arjun Bijlani in every character but I want to look like the character Bijlani is playing. There are certain similarities in every character which I try and differentiate.