Heavy on talent
In an industry driven by size-zero mania, it is quite surprising to find people who run behind actresses to lose flab, are on the heavier side themselves. Some of Bollywood’s top-notch choreographers, who have made actresses look like a million bucks for various item numbers, tip the scales a fair bit. Farah Khan, who moved on from being a choreographer to a director and now an actor, is all set to groove to an item number in her upcoming film Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi.
Before you snigger at the idea of Farah Khan doing an item number, spare a thought to those who choreograph most of them. Besides Farah, choreographers like Saroj Khan and Ganesh Acharya are the best in the business and have had to battle with weight issues. Is it lack of a good diet, oily food on sets or the sheer stress of dealing with assistants and stars?
Ganesh Acharya, who made a svelte Katrina Kaif sizzle in the chartbuster Chikni Chameli, says that he loves eating and doesn’t believe in dieting. “And despite all this, I do my riyaaz for more than 12 hours. So this simply states that it is sincere hardwork that has brought success to me as well as the other khate peete types of choreographers,” he says adding, “Dancing is not just about moving your body; your facial expressions and flexibility as a dancer also matter a lot.”
In an earlier interview, popular choreographer Terence Lewis had admitted to working under stress. “As choreographers tend to get busy with assistants, rehearsals, managing every little detail, most of them end up neglecting their workout and eat oily food on sets. Also, due to lack of time, there’s hardly any time to do your own riyaaz,” he says.
Interestingly, Pony Verma, who shot to fame by making a sensuous Vidya Balan dance to Ooh La La, says she put on weight to make an impact in the industry. “When I started out, nobody took me seriously since I was skinny and young and didn’t come across as that authoritative choreographer who was fat. So I literally had to put on weight in order to throw some weight around,” she says.
B’town’s darling choreographer Saroj Khan, who has been around for decades isn’t too pleased with the weight theory being discussed. For someone who has been criticised for her figure, Khan lashes out and says, “As it is we are living with the stigma of being fat. Why do you guys want to do a story on us and hurt us more? Just recently some channel too had the audacity of showcasing my photographs. I am not interested in speaking about being fat and yet being the best choreographer. Let us live with our talent.”
— Inputs by Lipika Varma
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