One of the most inspiring choreographers in the circuit, Remo D’ Souza says his journey has been like a Hindi film script. A successful filmmaker now, in his next, D’Souza promises to make Salman Khan dance to his steps. Meanwhile, he is back with the third season of Dance Plus where he is urging contestants to raise the bar.
Edited excerpts:
What does the tagline ‘One Level Up’ stand for?
It means that we have to push ourselves and the artists one step further. We want to see where they can go. For this, we are getting international artists and are putting them in the same spot as the rest of the contestants. Our Indian artists will be competing with international artists on the same platform.
One major change in this season is that I will be having my own squad. My squad is made up of international artists who are already world champions. This will be a huge challenge for Indian contestants and will make them push themselves further than they ever have.
It also rhymes with your journey?
It has definitely been amazing. My journey has practically been a typical Hindi film script. I was a boy from a small town who wanted to make a future in dancing. Everyone though that I won't be able to do anything. I told my parents that I wanted to go to Bombay and they said, “Wahaan kuch nahi ho paayega”. Despite everyone telling me I won't be able to do it, I went to Bombay. After reaching Bombay, the nature of struggle changed. The progress has been slow but steady. I entered the film industry as a background dancer and then gradually rose step by step. Now I am a judge and a filmmaker but amongst everything, my personal favourite continues to be dancing as it is what has led me to the rest. Dance has helped me overcome a lot of personal challenges. If I feel sad or depressed, I just go to the set and dance. It makes me feel alive.
What will the winner get?
The winner will get to star in my next film, which is a dance film with Salman Khan in the lead.
Tell us about the film
It is a new subject and not another instalment of ABCD series. The level of dancing will definitely go higher in this film and it will be something else altogether. People believe that Salman is not a good dancer, but I know that he is. Salman is definitely dancing like a pro in the movie; exactly like his role demands him to. He will be seen doing contemporary dance.
Do you believe reality shows are important in our country?
I believe that reality shows are extremely important for the talented. Contestants get a platform where they can prove their talent. If they are good at what they do, their life is made. Personally, reality shows have helped me get fame and money. But most importantly, it has taught me a lot. As a judge, I learn something new in every episode.
We need more genuine platforms in our country. There are many more reality shows in our country but many of them don't really focus on talent, rather they focus on popularity of judges.
Are you planning to open a dance institute?
I want to open a dance school but I have too much on my plate right now. I don't want to open an institute and appoint just anyone as the teacher. I want to teach the students myself. Right now between TV, films, choreography and my production house, I will not be able to take out time for classes. But there is a definite lack of art related schools in our country. We need to have schools and colleges that focus on Indian art forms. We should learn from the western culture, but it is important to learn our own art forms as well.
Is there anything that you would like to say to the aspiring dancers?
One thing that I would like to say to them is ‘don't give up’. Many dancers audition for our show. Few of them fight and keep coming back, but some get disheartened and quit. That is where they go wrong. If you want to do something, you need to be prepared for rejection.
