Back in his groove

Tele talk

After the success of his last song “Sharabi” in Shah Rukh Khan’s Happy New Year, Ganesh Hegde is back on Jhalak Dhikhla Jaa Season 8, but this time around, he is not just a judge on the show. The choreographer will entertain all the participants, apart from the judges.

“This season is going to be different. Earlier, I was a judge on the show and I would get bored as I didn’t have anything to do. I am an entertainer — I sing and dance. This season is interesting, there are some unusual characters and our judges have their own USPs,” he says.

Ganesh believes that his USP is his honesty. “I will say things from the heart. I cannot fake my emotions and I have always believed that one who speaks the truth speaks from his heart and those who are honest will always turn out to be good friends.”

The artiste says that though he is an exponent of every form of dance, his favourite is hip-hop. “I have been a back-up dancer, so I had to learn every form of dance. However, when I do my music videos, I prefer hip-hop because it has an edge and visually it looks magical,” he says.

As a choreographer who has been in this industry for almost two decades, Ganesh says he is happy with his journey in Bollywood. “I started off with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi in 1996. I was a back-up dancer. Slowly, I rose to a stage dancer and then I became a choreographer for stage shows. I have also performed on the Micheal Jackson show when he came to India. I have been doing a lot of films. Fortunately, I got to work with the big stars of Bollywood and they appreciated my work,” he says.

Ganesh has worked with everyone right from Salman Khan to Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan. He has choreographed for films like Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998), Fiza (2000), Hera Pheri (2000), Lagaan (2001), Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), Koi Mil Gaya (2003), Ra.One (2011), where he choreographed two popular numbers — “Chammak Challo” and “Criminal”.

Ganesh says his passion for dancing started at a very young age. “I choreographed my first dance for my school when I was just 15. We had singing lessons and we would take part in competitions. We had classes once a week and that generated my interest in dance. Fortunately, my parents always supported my interests. They told me to value my work and be dedicated to it.”

Well, Ganesh has taken a step further from choreographing. He now plans to take up direction. “I am going to direct my first feature, which will be a musical and an emotional film,” he says, promising to reveal the details soon.

However, he clarifies that he does not plan to act in it. “I don’t want to take any risks, but yes, the story is written by me. My story will be my hero. I agree films run on star power, but if it has a good story, it will do well no matter who acts in it,” he signs off.