After ‘Chak De’, former goalkeeper Negi to test dance skills
Former India goalkeeper and coach of Indian women’s hockey team Mir Ranjan Negi may seem to be the odd man out among the 12 participants of the celebrity dance show ‘Jhalak Dikhlaja’, which commences from September 28, but he feels that his tryst with dancing ”is his own way of popularising hockey among the people”.
”I was initially shocked when I was approached to be a participant. But, I got charged up when one of the ‘Chak De’ girls told me that I cannot dance. It was then that I decided to take up the challenge to convert my nervousness into positive energy,” Mr Negi, on whose life ‘Chak De India’ is loosely based, told reporters at a press conference to announce the launch of the second season of ”Jhalak Dikhlaja” on Sony Television here today.
”My aim is to promote hockey at the grassroot level and I am in the process of setting up a foundation in memory of my late son that will promote the game in every nook and corner of the country,” Mr Negi, currently the Superintendent of Customs in Mumbai, said.
He said he could not get back what he lost - virtually being forced to give up playing hockey after the disastrous loss in the finals against Pakistan in 1982 and the death of his 19-year-old son. ”But, I decided to move on. Setbacks and problems are part of life,” he added.
Mr Negi said he has begun rehearsing for the show and has learnt few steps of Salsa. ”Dancing on different dance formats is graceful. But, it is tough. Playing hockey is simpler,” he laughed.
He said he had just lost his son when the makers of ‘Chak De India’ approached him to assist them in the making of the movie. ”I was initially hesitant and even requested them to meet Dhanraj Pillay. But, they wanted me to be associated with the movie and I did not even know the script. The troubles faced by actor Shah Rukh Khan’s character in the movie are not even 10 per cent of what I went through. But, I am happy at the success of the film. Even Shah Rukh and Yashraj Films were not sure of the outcome of the movie at the box office. But, I feel it was made with a lot of honesty and sincerity and hence had to click with the people.
Veteran actor Jeetendra, who will be judging a reality show for the first time on television, said; ”Dancing is all about shedding one’s inhibitions. I will judge the contestants on the basis of their perserverance and efforts.” Actress Sudha Chandran, one of the participants, said she would re-discover herself as a dancer on the show. ”People have forgotten that I am a dancer.” The show’s youngest participant, actress Prachi Desai, who became a household name with ‘Kasam Se’ as Bani, said after winning hearts of ’saas’ and ‘bahus’, she was keen to win the hearts of the youth.
Choreographer Shiamak Davar, who will be the celebrity judge along with Jeetendra and Urmila Matondkar, said he was looking for magic and not technicalities in the performances.
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Executive Vice-President and Business Head Albert Almeida said Sony commanded 28 per cent of the market share on weekends during which the channel pioneered several reality shows with powerful international standards. These shows have gone down well with the audiences.
”The second season of ‘Jhalak Dhiklaja’ will further strengthen the channel’s weekend leadership,” he added.
The show goes on air from September 28 at 2100 hrs and will be telecast on Fridays and Saturdays.
Mona Singh, last season’s winner, will host the show with actor Rohit Roy. The show is produced by Synergy Adlabs Media and BBC Worldwide, who own the original format which has been a success across 30 countries.
— UNI
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