The multi-talented Remo D’souza talks shop with Angela Paljor
No one can resist dancing on Remo D’Souza’s steps because he does make you believe that anybody can dance. With his iconic moves and as a pioneer of dance films in India, he has created a niche for himself in both the television and film industry. After tasting success as a director, D’Souza is all set to venture into acting. The 43-year-old star has been approached for a children’s movie, which he thinks would be the right one for him.
“I have been approached many times but I did not like the scripts. Yes, there is one particular script that I liked and I might do it,” says D’souza. But acting is not a long term plan. His primary focus will always be on choreography and filmmaking. “I’m passionate about dance and making films but acting is not my cup of tea. I’m only doing it for the kids.”
Remo will soon be directing Salman Khan in a movie about a father-daughter relationship. The superstar is also taking professional dance training for the movie. “He is already training. I can’t tell you the dance form as it’s the main element in the film.”
Reminiscing about the past, when he was struggling to be a part of the Indian film industry, D’Souza feels that it was the most difficult phase of his live as there were no platforms to egg him on. He shares, “It was really difficult to get into the film industry and there was no way to be a part of the glamour circuit. I really had to struggle to get a minute part in the industry. Finally, I got a chance to be a background dancer, showing my moves behind numerous actors.” later, he met Ahmed Khan and assisted him as a choreographer. This helped him get his first break in music videos and later in films. “My journey started from there,” he says.
D’Souza feels if one has their family’s support nothing is difficult. “Convincing my parents that I wanted to go to Mumbai and see if I can make something of myself was difficult. It took me a little while as my father and brother were totally against it. But my mother and sister supported me and that’s why I am here,” he says.
All through the years, as a background dancer to a well known choreographer, D’Souza has been a witness to a phenomenal change in the art of dancing in the industry. “Earlier, we had the actor dancing along with a group that hardly had character. Rangeela was the first movie that changed the scenario of the background dancers and I was a part of it. We replaced them with funky young boys and girls who were as good as the lead. The dance styles continued to be the same. Reality shows today can be credited with the change in dance styles as they feed the demand for a visual story in each episode. This has led to the evolution of a popular dance culture in the country and encouraged awareness and appreciation,” he says.
The western form of dance has been deeply incorporated on all platforms. This has led to the marginalisation of Indian dance forms which D’souza wants to revive. He shares, “We don’t have audience for traditional dance forms. My first film was on a traditional dance, Chhau. But unfortunately nobody wants to buy it, so it hasn’t been released,” he says. There is also an attempt to incorporate Indian folk dance in the reality TV shows but D’souza points out that the response is never the same as it is with western dance styles. “One needs to educate the audience about the various dance styles, only then will we be able to restore the traditional folk dances,” he points out.
D’souza and his team have tried to incorporate traditional folk dance styles in Dance+ where international dancers will compete with Indian dancers in various genres like Bharatanatyam. The choreographer-director is really excited about this new twist in the show. “I would say, this will be the biggest dance battle. This will decide if we are really at par with the rest of the world.”
His first movie as a director was F.A.l.T.U, a moderate success at the box office. later, he directed a series of dance-oriented movies. However, this time with his new movie on the line with Salman Khan as the lead, D’Souza has started to feel a little pressure. “I am definitely under pressure, now that people have started questioning me about how I will be able to make Salman Khan dance. He is a superstar and I take it as a challenge. I am also happy that I am under pressure as I want to prove myself,” he says. But having worked with Salman earlier, he feels confident. “We have a really good rapport and I think it’s going to be really fun working with him,” he says confidently.
Since D’souza is multi-tasking, he does feel a bit pressured. But having said that, since he loves everything he does, he manages to handle all the elements perfectly. He also wants to be experimental and try all genres at hand. “I am really fascinated with super heroes and I tried to portray an Indian super hero but it didn’t work. I still want to try it as I am unable to figure out what went wrong,” he says. He believes that the Western film industry has the financial power and the VFX to make realistic movies. “That’s another reason why people believed in Bahubali. If we do a proper film with a proper budget we can come out with a great superhero as we have great stories to work on,” he adds.
Ask him what he prefers and he says, “Dancing will always be my first love, that’s what I am known for and how I started in the industry. In films, it’s your story that’s portrayed on the screen and people come to watch it. This gives a different kind of high,” he says.
Since he has worked in all the platforms, he believes that television is a good starting point. “Television is too big! If you’re really good, then the entire country knows you in a week’s time. And from there one can go anywhere, from reality shows to films.” However, one does get stereotyped when one works in the television. D’souza is positive about the changing scenario but believes it will take time. “There are only few cases of actors who started in television and are doing films including Shahrukh Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput.”