Talktime | Faisal Khan
The proud winner of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa Season 8, talks to SANGEETA YADAV about his ups & downs, inspirations and the most difficult dance forms he attempted on the show
How was your Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (JDJ) journeyIJ
Only lucky ones get a platform like this to showcase their talent. There were a lot of ups and downs but it was a great learning experience as well, especially with my choreographer Vaishnavi and the judges Shahid Kapoor, lauren Gottlieb, Ganesh Hegde, Malaika Arora Khan and Karan Johar.
Were you approached before as well to be a part of JDJIJ
When I was doing Maharana Pratap last year, I got an offer from JDJ but I couldn’t take it up. Though there were a lot of actors who were working on their daily soap and JDJ simultaneously, I felt that by giving three days to Jhalak... and three to Maharana Pratap, I would not do justice to either.
What was the biggest concern on the showIJ
I told my parents to pray for me so that I don’t forget any dance steps on stage and never get ill. In previous seasons of Jhalak and in this one as well, we have seen many actors getting serious injuries which led them to be on bed rest for months.
Did you have an added advantage over othersIJ
Yes, having practised dance since childhood and after winning Dance Indian Dance l'il Masters 2, I had an added advantage. But I never boasted of this, felt overconfident or took this competition lightly. There were other contestants who had some or the other background in dancing. So, the competitive bar was much higher.
Any act which you felt that you could’ve done betterIJ
In the third week of the JDJ, we danced on motion theme and were asked to use a prop. But we didn’t do that and this got us some negative comments. Then we channelised all our energy on improving our performance and made a comeback.
What was the most difficult act for youIJ
The marathon series where all the contestants simultaneously had to dance for 5 minutes non-stop. It was very technical and challenging. I was unwell at that time but my love and passion for dancing made me give my best.
What is the most difficult genre in danceIJ
Classical. Having attempted it and being a disciple of Geeta Maa who is a known classical dancer, it became all the more important for me to do it much better and not disappoint. When I donned a girl’s avatar for one of my acts, it was very difficult for me to get the right characteristics.
Any dance form that you explored for the first timeIJ
I tried to explore the contemporary dance form more and also tried my luck for the first time with linear Hop dance.
Who was your biggest competitorIJ
My biggest competitor was myself and that made me focus on how Vaishnavi and I better our performance. Vaishnavi is a mind-blowing dancer. She too has faced a lot of challenges since childhood to come this far. last year, Akshat was paired with her but they couldn’t utilise their potential to do their best due to his weight issues. They couldn’t do all the lifts and there were limitations in choreography.
What is your dreamIJ
I want to become a superstar like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan and give my family a luxurious life. I want to do good work and become so popular that every child knows me by my name.