“Dance is like prayer for me. I used to dance when I was nothing and even today I dance. Dance cannot be taught, one has to have the passion and understanding. To stand out in the crowd one has to have his/her own style. I created my own style. You can appreciate it or call it rubbish but I strongly feel that one must have a style of one's own. I took styles from dancing greats like John Travolta, Michael Jackson and others and created my own style.” So says Mithun Chakraborty, Bollywood's feted dance star of the 1970s and '80s .
Mithun who will be seen on Zee TVs reality show Dance India Dance Season 3 , came up the hard way, but he is glad today's newcomers have things much easier. “We used to perform at marriages and other functions to prove ourselves and whenever I was asked to perform, my first question was ‘khana milega' because I never knew where I am going to have my next meal. But today's kids are very lucky to have such platforms to perform and get noticed. This is a great thing that has happened.”
He quotes the example of a contestant Chhotu Lohaar as a case in point. “He comes from a small village in Orissa. He could not make it in the last season. I asked him to work hard and not to give up hope, and this time he is one of the 18 contestants shortlisted.”
So what does Mithun look for in a contestant in Dance India Dance ? Does he go by the technicalities or the spirit of the dancer?
“We are looking for people who eat, breathe and live dance, someone who is born to dance. I encourage the contestants, comment very carefully, never say loud or harsh words which can demoralise them. We want to make them stars, from nobody to somebody — like from Mithun to Mithun Chakraborty.”
Dressed in a bandgala suit and sporting a ponytail at the launch of the show, Mithun failed to oblige his fans who requested him to do a dance number, citing tiredness.
This season will witness the return of the magical trio of Remo D'Souza, Geeta Kapoor and Terence Lewis after a gap of two years and each of them will be grooming their respective teams consisting of six members each.
The show will be aired every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30 p.m., starting December 24.
