Dreams are subject to change, and no one knows it better than Mumbai-based choreographer and actor Dharmesh Yelonde. Popular in dance circles as ‘Dharmesh sir’, his dream was to be a back dancer, part of troupes that dance with the leading star. Enter Remo D’Souza, and Dharmesh realised that aspirations are something that keep growing with opportunities. “Because of Remo we came from the back to the front, from dance reality shows to ABCD,” says Dharmesh, who was in town to announce the auditions of an upcoming dance reality show on Star Plus called Dance +.
“Here, everyone — from judges to super judge to the host— will be a dance. So, we have Raghav Juyal anchoring it and Remo sir as super judge,” says Dharmesh, a judge on the show, looking for passionate dancers with the X factor. (Read ABCD 2 review here)
Talk about ABCD 2 that releases this June 19, and Dharmesh is nervous and excited. “It was a huge risk when we made it the first time and it’s still an experiment the second time round. It made actors out of dancers like us,” says Dharmesh. (See Pics: ABCD 2 screening)
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Much before the promotions became public, actor Varun Dhawan had adopted a new identity on Twitter — ‘Varun Suresh Dhawan’. Now that ABCD 2 is hitting theatres, the mystery behind ‘Suresh’ has been solved. The name of his character in the film, Suresh, says Dhawan, is an honest guy, who, inspired by his mother, becomes a dancer, forms a dance group, faces all odds, and goes on to win the world hip-hop championship. “It’s his journey, from a boy to man, the relationship with his guru (Prabhu Deva), and taking dance to a next level,” says Dhawan. For him, ABCD 2 is “patriotic, emotional with a strong Indian connect”. Based on a true story – of a group called Fictitious Dance Academy from Nalasopara, Maharashtra, ABCD 2 rings with reality. “Even the love story between our characters, of Suresh and Vinnie, is based on Remo and his wife,” says Kapoor. For the championship scene in Las Vegas, D’Souza, adds Dhawan, brought on board real dance groups from Australia, Germany, Philippines, France, etc. “They would deliver in just one take!” adds Kapoor, who finally got a chance to fulfill her childhood dream as a dancer in this film.
“With 18 to 20 dance forms including House, Hip Hop, Krumping, Robotics, B Boying, Contemporary, etc to master, ABCD 2 was a challenge,” say the two, braving injuries, harsh weather, strict diet and back breaking rehearsals to develop a lean and agile dancer’s body. City-based B-Boying expert Saajan Singh, too, is part of the film. On Dhawan’s insistence, D’Souza also added a Punjabi rap in the film and a rendition of Vande Mataram by Daler Mehndi, Badshah and Divya Kumar.
The auditions will be held on June 19 from 9 am onwards at DC Montessori Senior Secondary Smart School, Manimajra, near Modern Housing Complex, Chandigarh.
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