Dance like a cricketer

Sushmita Sen finds out cricketers can dance and they are talented enough to land roles in Bollywood. Over to Mathures Paul

Wasim Akram came through as a thorough gentleman on Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina, the popular dance reality show on Colors. The show brings together two of India’s biggest passions ~ cricket and glamour, besides showcasing another side to Wasim Akram and Sushmita Sen, the judges. The show features Sreesanth (with Surveen Chawla), Harbhajan (with Mona Singh), Irfan Pathan (with Ashima Bhalla), Dinesh Karthik (with Nigar Khan), Nikhil Chopra (with Barkha Bisht) and Vinod Kambli (with Shama Sikander). Sushmita Sen speaks to The Statesman.

Dance and cricket don’t go hand in hand. Having been in the industry for long, how difficult is it for individuals with two left feet to pick up dance steps?
It’s hardly ever about getting the steps right. It’s more about the pressure one puts on his/her eyes watching somebody dance; it makes one petrified about dancing. The instant one learns the art of abandonment and dancing for one’s pleasure, rhythm takes over. Whether cricketers, or any other professional, dancing requires one to enjoy himself.

Parameters on which you and Wasim Akram judge contestants.
Our parameters were set by the participants! They took the show seriously from the word go, something that came naturally to them. Beyond that both Wasim and I needed to judge them only on their levels of enthusiasm of trying different dance forms and showing improvement in performance.

The legendary Wasim Akram. How difficult (or easy) is it to put up with a cricketer known for aggressive body language on the field?
Personally he is a splendid human being and a thorough gentleman. I’ve been an ardent follower of cricket and thus it is impossible not to admire the champion cricketer. I was overjoyed to work with him. His aggressive body language as cricketer has evolved into a charming one as judge!

Your maiden appearance on the small screen... How difficult was it to change gears? What are some of the lessons you learnt while shooting for the series?
Shooting for television is most certainly easier because I’m not required to play any character or learn any lines. It did seem dispassionate, as opposed to films, at first but I slowly understood the pace of the medium and soon I was thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Vinod Kambli is a surprise entry because he hasn’t been in the news lately. Do you think he fits into a line-up comprising young cricketers?
Besides Vinod, there’s Nikhil Chopra, who’s not currently playing for the national team. But both of them were never short on energy, attitude or commitment whilst competing with their younger counterparts. On many occasions Vinod stole the thunder from others simply because he’s a livewire. He came across as a wonderful human being with a never-say-die spirit.

Are the judges looking at any particular style of dancing?
The only thing Wasim and I were looking for was 100 per cent commitment (as cricketers like to put it) each time they came on stage. The cricketers were not expected to display different styles but to show an upswing each time they performed. Some of them are turning out to be contenders for roles in films (smiles).

Are you a cricket fan? Who are your favourites?
I do take cricket very seriously; at least watching it... I enjoy the sport thoroughly but prefer the shorter version of the game. ODI and T20 series turn my living room into a stadium and I don’t miss a single delivery. Some of my favourite cricketers are Imran Khan, Shane Warne and Dhoni.

What’s your take on ‘corporatisation’ of cricket? Do you think this is a good way to promote the sport?
I think it’s brilliant. Cricket means to India what football is in Europe. That we waited this long to have a league to promote competitive cricket and to make brands out of our international and domestic cricketers is unfortunate. But better late than never. We now need to do the same for the other sports.