'I have grown immensely as a person'

Dancing to glory

Actor and dancer Shantanu Maheshwari has been a dancer for as long as he can remember. A man of few words, Shantanu says he is always overwhelmed by the sight of an encouraging audience. One of the contestants in the ongoing ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (season 9), Shantanu believes people’s reviews matter the most and feels that if he has been able to entertain them for those few hours, his job is done. In an interview with Nina C George, Shantanu talks about why he chose to be a dancer and what keeps him going.

What’s it like being on ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (Season 9)?
It feels great to be representing the youth on ‘Jhalak...’ I am nervous but I am quite sure this journey will be a good one and I am waiting to see the response it gets.

Do you make any improvisations during your performances on ‘Jhalak...’ ?
We can’t really make any improvisations before or during our performance because the steps are planned according to what we have rehearsed. But we work on our expressions because these come to us naturally when we are dancing. Fortunately, my choreographer is Alisha Singh, who was my costar in my first show ‘Dil Dosti Dance.’ We share a good rapport and are accustomed to each other’s dance styles. It helps when you are already in sync with the person, as then the chemistry too is great.

Tell us about your experience of performing at America’s Got Talent?
The America’s Got Talent team had approached us to come and perform in the show’s 11th season. So after a lot of coordination, we decided to go there and give it our best shot. We had our performance just the day after we landed in Pasadena in California. So, trying our best to not give in to jet lag, we practiced thoroughly and geared up for our performance the next day. We performed two songs. From what we had heard, pleasing Simon Cowell was the toughest on the show, but fortunately he liked our performance. Simon mentioned that he liked how we had stuck to our roots and incorporated Indian elements in our performance.

Your first steps into the world of dancing...
My love for dancing began with various events that used to take place in our society, back home in Kolkata, which my family used to actively participate in. From there, I started dancing — a talent which was identified by my mother when I was eight years old. So all credit goes to my mother for identifying my talent and also to my family for supporting my dream.

From a charted accountant to dancer...
I used to dance but I was never sure of taking it up as a career because it seemed like a risk back then. I was from Kolkata and wasn’t sure if moving to Mumbai would be a good idea. At one point, I wanted to be a chartered accountant and studied really hard to get the degree. But as I got involved in dancing, I fell in love with it and realised that I enjoyed the creative field more than anything else. And dancing was my natural choice.  

How would you describe your journey so far?
Honestly, I never really imagined myself reaching to where I am today, but the journey has really been an amazing one.  I’ve had my share of ups and downs but it’s all been a part of the learning process. I have grown immensely as a person, which is the best part of this journey.

What are your future projects?
I am currently playing the role of Sahir, an aspiring musician on MTV's ‘Girls On Top’, and besides that it’s just ‘Jhalak...’ I am not much of a planner. I prefer going with the flow.

What do you when you are off work?
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I like to play cricket, badminton and even table tennis. I follow tennis too and I am a huge fan of Roger Federer. I love the way he handles fame and carries himself both on and off the court.