What's New About Her? - Shakti Mohan Article in Daily Pioneer.

Shakti Mohan will focus on Bharatanatyam, Kathak and other Indian classical dance forms to prove her mettle yet again in a dance reality show. She speaks to Divya Kaushik

While we all think it's a cakewalk for an established choreographer to contest with most non-dancers in a dance reality show, Shakti Mohan is sweating it out to prove her mettle in the forthcoming season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (JDJ). Shakti was the winner of Dance India Dance Season 2 and she is playing the role of Kria Ghai in Dil Dosti Dance on Channel V. JDJ, she says, is an opportunity for her to experiment with other dance forms and surprise her fans. "I want to do something other than what people have seen me doing on the small screen. Contemporary has been my favourite form, but I can't repeat myself in JDJ. So my choreographer, Tushar, and me are trying to think of new concepts. Since people have not seen me doing much of Indian classical dance, we are working on that. I was trained in Bharatanatyam as a child but then I didn't continue with it. Now I want to learn Kathak and use more Indian classical dance forms in my performances," says Shakti. Her sister, Mukti Mohan, was part of last season of JDJ.

Since Shakti has been part of dance reality shows, she is well-versed with what's needed to grab attention. But she says the pressure is immense. "Expectations are huge. I am trying my best not to disappoint anyone. Along with rehearsals for this show, I also have to concentrate on the shoot of other ongoing show on Channel V. I am pushing my limits and challenging my capabilities because I know that it will be a wonderful experience and journey ahead," she says. It seems it's a norm for the organisers of the show to have one trained dancer as a contestant. Last year Lauren Gottleib participated in the show. "I feel everyone who is part of the show comes up with the best, so even if you are a trained dancer it is challenging for you to stand out among the rest," she says.

The dance reality show has proved to be fortunate for many contestants in the past and Shakti hopes that it will open more doors of opportunities for her. "It is a widely popular show and is followed by almost everyone in the industry. It provides you a platform to not only show your dancing skills but your caliber as a performer. I am sure that doing this show will prove to be a big feat for me," she ends.

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