Article--Bole Mayuri--Sudha Chandran

You seem to be rocking Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.. Yeah. After working for 12 hours a day, I do feel like going home and doing nothing. But once I enter the rehearsal hall at Jhalak.. and the music plays, I'm transported to another world. All the tiredness vanishes. It's almost become an addiction. Your scores have been consistently high.. I know! We scored 28 this time. But it's scary because the expectations are ris- ing. Every time we come on the floor, the judges expect something new. What're you planning this week? It's an Indian look. You've got to see Uma (Shankar), he looks as if he just landed from Rajasthan. You come from a classical back- ground.. isn't it tough adapting to other dance forms? Of course it is. But Uma's been very patient with me. He never loses his temper. We always make sure that the two of us are satis- fied with our performance, before pleasing the audience. Weren'tyouskepticalabouttakingitupat first? (Laughs) When the producers approached me, I ran away. But then I saw Chak De! India .. I suddenly got the josh and decided to take it up. Do you think you get sympathy votes? No. In fact, people forget that I have an artificial leg. It was very sweet of Shiamak to say that he feels no sympathy for me. All the three judges have been very kind and straightforward. What else are you working on? I'm doing a show on Doordarshan - Kash- makash. And I've returned to Tamil films after 22 years. I didn't want to leave Mumbai, so I kept away all this while. Balaji Telefilms plans to revive KahiinKissiRoz.Have they approached you? Yes. Talks are on. We should be deciding on something soon. It's always a pleasure to work with them. This will be a homecoming of sorts. Your dad's been coming to watch all your perform- ances.. what are his reactions? Initially, he'd asked me not to take too much stress. But when he saw the results, he was so proud. What about your husband? He's very critical of my performances which is a good thing. But he also pampers me so much. In some ways, he's taken the place of my mum. At the end of the day, how does it feel to be an inspi- ration for so many people? It feels great, because I know I'm not just a reel life heroine, but a real life heroine.