Nigaar Khan raves about Dinesh Karthik, says he's the best

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Television actress Nigaar Z. Khan says cricketer Dinesh Karthik, her partner on dance reality show 'Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina', is a sweet guy and a quick learner and that she couldn't have got a better co-dancer.

'Dinesh is always willing to learn. He is just like a sponge. If you keep pouring water on him (teaching him), he will keep absorbing it (learning it),' Nigaar told IANS.

'When he doesn't get a step right, he pushes me to teach it to him so that he can perform. At times, we also have to change the choreography, but Dinesh puts in all his efforts. When he is unable to do it, then he asks us to change it,' she said.

'Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina' has six couples - a cricketer teamed with a TV actress - competing with each other. Apart from Nigaar-Dinesh, the other participants include S. Sreesanth-Surveen Chawla, Harbhajan Singh-Mona Singh, Vinod Kambli-Shama Sikander, Nikil Chopra-Barkha Bisht and Irfan Pathan-Ashima Bhalla.

Irfan-Ashima and Nikhil-Barkha Bisht have been eliminated so far.

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen and former Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram are judges on the show that is aired on entertainment channel Colors.

Nigaar, who has featured in soaps like 'India Calling' and 'Lipstick', said she 'can't think of anyone else other than Dinesh to be her partner'.

'I won't give Dinesh to anybody,' the actress said of the wicketkeeper.

The couple is considered among the cutest on the show after Sreesanth-Surveen, who sizzle on the dance floor and have won the hearts of the judges.

'We are not on the show to look like some great dancers. The show is also about how well we gel as a couple. Dinesh is too sweet to fight with me, so we don't fight. It was only once we had an argument and I stopped talking to him but things got okay soon,' she said.

For their performances, Nigaar decides the costumes for herself and Dinesh.

'I have given him a get-up of a south Indian don, a rowdy schoolboy look, a dude. I try to make him look different all the time. He feels excited. In fact, when he tries out a costume, he calls me to check. Everything is 'Nigaar' for him,' she said.

Nigaar feels Dinesh is unable to recognise the fact that he is a star among the masses, especially after displaying his dancing abilities on the small screen.

'I keep telling him that people are going mad about you and he says I thought all that was for Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh). I had to tell him to let this fact sink in that you are something. He is really sweet,' said Nigaar.

As of now, Nigaar is just doing 'Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina', but she said she would like to 'anchor some shows apart from doing some quality soaps'.

Nigaar was often confused with Norwegian model Negar Khan, who created a storm with her provocative dance in the music video 'Chadti Jawani' and appeared topless on the cover of a Norwegian magazine. In 2005, she was deported from India for working without valid documents.

The controversies associated with the Norwegian model forced Nigaar to use 'z' as her middle name to avoid confusion.