The auditions held over two days saw an overload of people from all walks of life.
Thirst, hunger and the hot sweltering summer heat couldn't keep the aspiring dancers away. Just Dance will provide a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for artists to dance in front of the Greek God, especially of Dance - Hrithik Roshan. While most participants were fretting about their performance, hoping they would be able to do their best, many were actually worried about not being able to perform before their God of Dance - Hrithik Roshan. Several youngsters simply dreamt of breathing the same air as Hrithik Roshan, who will judge the show and the best known names in the world of dance choreography -Farah Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant, will be with him on the hot seat!
Thakur College opened its doors to the highly anticipated auditions of Just Dance in Mumbai. Apart from the contestants who had pre-registered themselves through Starplus.in website, a staggering 2,000 hopefuls arrived in the hope of catapulting their talents into the international spotlight.
"Crowds began appearing since early morning. People had been standing in the queue from as early as 4 am," reveals a security guard who had heard every possible excuse for latecomers to barge into the venue.
Minors and underage participants were the biggest problem for the registration staff, who handled the huge deluge of people. They also turned away numerous people who didn't carry their age proof and had to turn a deaf ear to their pleas. "People would forget to bring their age proof and then swear on their mother that they were eligible," says a girl who handled the counter. "Two boys came from Nasik, Maharastra and said they were born in the 1999 born and were 18 years old. That was very amusing. Then there were those who were super excited about being part of the auditions that they would shake hands with everyone."
Just Dance is a coming together of the best of the best dancing talents from across the globe and participants came in all shapes, sizes and clothes. From normal clothes to people in costumes- this audition saw it all.
Some people stood out from the crowd. A guy came wearing three fourths at the auditions. Once in he went ahead and applied multani mithi all over his body. Then he painted half portion, the right side of his body in tiger stripes and went ahead with his auditions. With Michael Jackson a shining example of dance, many came dressed as him with curly hair et al while scores of people wore hip hop costumes with loose baggy trousers and jacket. Moon dance was the most favourite move shown off at the auditions.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and many girls followed the idiom by dressing in the Maharastrian style. A whole bunch of girls came wearing the navari sari with fake gajra and jewellery. But to be fair South Indian style sari clad girls were present giving ample competition too. South Indian dancers decked in full glory showed off their classical moves. A youngster dressed in the martha style caught the eye of the media along with a girl dressed in orange sari. She even had a very filmy story to tell and wanted Hrithik to help her. It seems she came dressed as a bride because her fianc, who stays in Australia, is angry with her. She wanted to plead with him to forgive her through this audition. She also wanted Hrithik to tell him to be nice to her.
This was the preliminary round with in-house selection as the ones chosen will perform before the judges later in the month and will be part of the show as contestants.
Chand Mohd, one of the first few to be selected for the next round of auditions, was all smiles once he came out. Hailing from Kolkata, seventeen year old Chand, has been working in a hotel in Mumbai, since the last few days. Once, he landed in the city of dreams, he spotted a banner of Just Dance. He entered his name for the auditions and didn't tell anyone back home about it. His dance on Hrithik's famous song Ek Pal Ka Jeena, won him a spot in the second round. "I would like to take care of my mom, if I win this show. I would like to study further as well. I used to watch Hrithik's song on tv and later I recorded his dance on my mobile. I would practice a lot and learnt it. I love watching Hrithik," says an overwhelmed Chand.
With a superstar like Hrithik as judge, one didn't have to look far for Hrithik lookalikes. While one Hrithik lookalike, Aman Kumar, from Haryana, entered the auditions, there were eight others who got stuck as the gates closed before they could make it. Aman states, "After Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, people in my town told me I looked like Hrithik. Everyone wants to be a hero and I realised my face resembled a huge stars, so why not take advantage of that. I have met Hrithik numerous times and done stage shows too as Hrithik. My light eyes are my most striking feature and the one quality that matches Hrithik's. My getup doesn't take much time as I have curly hair and beard too."
With a huge amount of talent, a mentally challenged girl too came for her big chance. Eleven year old Sayali Agvane danced to Jaa Re Hat Natkhat. She even gave a message to Hrithik in Marathi saying 'I love you and I would like to be with you.' While Deepak Sharma, a handicapped guy impressed everyone with his headlock.
Once chosen from these auditions, only the best candidates will be awarded the honour of showcasing their skills in front of the iconic jury member, Hrithik Roshan. Host Ayushman, who kept up the spirits of the contestants says, "In the sweltering heat, I am glad to boost their morale as they have to face the judges and dance their best. The response for the show has been tremendous. Just dance is the biggest reality show in India, as we not only have contestants from India but abroad as well. After auditions in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai we will fly to New York and London too. We will scout the best talent to entertain the audiences."
See the cream of the crop dancers from across the global Indian diaspora compete for the coveted title of the Ultimate Indian Dance Champion, only on Just Dance.
Just Dance coming soon on STAR Plus.
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