An ode to supermoms

Telly review

Finally, it’s India’s supermoms’ day out on the small screen. In a prime time ruled by reality shows for the stars, for the kids, and what not, moms have thus far been relegated either to a supporting role or behind the scenes.

But pushing the moms from the periphery to the centrestage of a dance show is none other than Zee TV’s Dance India Dance Supermoms (DID). The new show does for middle-class moms what KBC did for the common man: pitchforks them out of a life of anonymity into 15 minutes of fame.

Stepping beyond the stereotype of moms aspiring to be masterchefs; moms as mentors behind the scenes in tiny tots’ talent shows; moms as part of dancing star jodis et al, DID Supermoms gives the middle-class moms a platform not only for showcasing their passion for dance, but also to let the happy feet have oodles of fun.

Cast in the usual talent show format of first the auditions, followed by qualifier rounds and then the grand finale, the 15-week series is to feature 16 contestants, who will be split into four teams. The participants will be taken under the wings by four acclaimed DID skippers — Raghav Crockroaz Juyal, Prince Gupta, Siddhesh Pai and Jai Kumar Nair.

Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan makes an ideal choice to be in the judges’ seat along with dancer-choreographer Marzi Pestonji even as former dance show contestant Jay Bhanushali takes on the mantle of host. Legendary ‘Disco Dancer’ Mithun Chakraborty comes cast in the role of Grand Master.

Riding on the aspirations and unfulfilled ambitions of all those women who have had to put their passion for dance on hold either for their career or parenthood, the inaugural episodes of the telly extravaganza unveiled an explosion of emotions, engagement and enthusiasm from “Mothers India”!

The supermoms, spanning a spectrum of ages, contexts and cultural milieus, became the USP of the show, which is an ode to the passion, perseverance and pluck of the ordinary women, drawn from diverse backgrounds and family scenarios, and driven by an extraordinary desire to break all shackles to put their best foot forward.

There was Ripanpreet from Mohali epitomising how, despite the privacy constraints of a joint family, a woman can make space to pursue her passion and make it to the big stage. This dance buff came riding on her passion and prodding of her husband.

There was also the mother of two who didn’t let her weight stand in the way of her feet. Earning accolades from the judges was this overweight dancer, who busted the myth that people on the heavier side of the scale cannot shake a leg. The stereotype of saas-bahu antagonism was also overturned by the two sisters-in-law Darshana and Phulwa. The talented duo — Darshana being a civil engineer and Phulwa a dancer — not only looked like bosom buddies, but made it to the stage with the blessings of their saasu maa.

Bringing in the global flavour was a dancer from Romania. She was the face of cultural confluence, rendering Bharatnatyam as if she had been born into it. Her journey into a joint Indian family and into classical dance was an inspiring tale of assimilation and artistic expression transcending boundaries.

The Great Indian Joint family certainly had an outing on the show, all thanks to Deshpreet Kaur, wife of a naval officer, who had nothing short of about a dozen family members accompanying her to ‘dance’ attendance on her.

Stepping beyond the stereotypes of status — embracing unconventional relationships with as much elan as traditional ones — makes the show stand apart in the crowd of clones. Moreover, the show has a fresh take on things and doesn’t make excess use of melodrama, mush or mindless clichés to woo the TRPs. It was indeed high time the Indian moms got a chance to put their best foot forward than dance to others’ tunes.