~||Gurmeet in JDJ5||~ Finale Week TRP added - Page 25

Four months and numerous performances later, television heart-throb Gurmeet Choudhary walked away with the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa trophy and a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh on Sunday night. t2 caught up with Gurmeet after the win…

Has the feeling sunk in yet?

All my efforts over the past four months have paid off. I am very happy. I don't have the words to express what I'm feeling right now!

What was the winning moment like?

When my name was announced, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to laugh, I wanted to cry, I wanted to hug everyone who was there with me on that stage, I even wanted to break into a little dance! I think it's the first time in my life that I have experienced so many emotions at the same time. I was actually shouting: 'Main jeet gaya, main jeet gaya!' The first thing I did was go down on my knees and thank all my fans for voting for me and helping me win.

How would you describe your Jhalak journey?

I always knew that my fans would back me and vote for me, no matter what. But I am proud to say that I chipped in with great performances through the show and made sure I never let my fans down. In the beginning, I wasn't that good because I came in as a complete non-dancer. My body was stiff and every move seemed very awkward to me. But as the show progressed, I got more and more comfortable and learnt to loosen up. I used to get very nervous before my acts, but that actually helped me because I work well under pressure. Of course, today I was very, very scared after entering the top two because I realised that I genuinely had a chance to win Jhalak.

How did you go from a non-dancer to such a major mover?

I can dance, but unlike some of the other contestants on the show, my background wasn't that of a professional dancer. I was conscious of that when I came in. I always knew that my fans would keep voting for me but I was also sure of the fact that I had to match the support of my fans with sincere effort from my end. I never wanted my fans to say: 'Hum vote toh karte hain lekin Gurmeet ka dance itna achcha nahi hota'. Living up to the expectations of my fans kept me going through the show.

When I started out, I used to get very low marks… 6 or 7 (out of 10). However, after the first four episodes, I pulled myself together and started scoring well. I remember I scored a 10 on 10 in three or four consecutive performances. That gave me a lot of confidence. I realised that I had it in me to be a dancer and after that, I continued challenging myself and trying to better myself in every round.

Pick your most memorable moments...

First would be the opportunity to dance in front of a talented producer-director like Karan Johar. When he told me, 'Gurmeet, you are a fantastic dancer and a fabulous actor', I was so overwhelmed. All the three judges (Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Remo D'Souza) were very supportive and even when they criticised, they ensured that I took it in a constructive manner. Then the acts in which I played different characters, whether it was a villain, Dracula or even a lion, were very memorable because they made me realise that I had it in me to slip into different images effortlessly. The audience used to wait to see what new character I would appear in. That was a huge high.

Who was your toughest competition?

Very frankly, from the first day my competition was only with myself. That's because every week I wanted to put up something that was better than the previous week. Of course, as the weeks went on, I got a little worried because I was running out of new ideas. And when the wild-card round happened and so many other talented dancers came in, I had to push myself even more.

How do you plan to leverage this win?

Jhalak gave me an opportunity to present a new Gurmeet to my fans. Before this, people had seen me in brooding, serious roles. Jhalak allowed me to show everyone that I can dance, loosen up and have fun. I plan to harness this experience to do stage shows, but my ultimate goal is to get into films. Everyone has seen me in soaps and on the dance floor. The next step is the big screen.

Priyanka Roy

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1121003/jsp/entertainment/story_16045157.jsp

Originally posted by: disha_Maan.GC

ofcourse yaar... i know u r multi talented thabu..😎

He's proved he can dance

Gurmeet Choudhary is the winner of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 5. The actor talks to Divya Kaushik about his high and low points over the last four months, battling doubt and living up to fan expectations

More than excitement, Gurmeet Choudhary exuded a sense of relief and satisfaction as he spoke to us on phone minutes after lifting his trophy as a winner of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 5. We could hear the celebrations on the sets in the background but the TV actor, who rose to fame as the flamboyant Maan Singh Khurana in Geet Hui Sabse Parayi and now plays the subtle Yash in Punar Vivaah, was thinking what next. He believes that his versatile stage acts will finally open the doors to his ultimate destination: Films.

"Some offers came in while I was doing Jhalak but since I wanted to prove a point as a dancer, I didn't want to divert my attention or give them serious thought. But after this victory, I am sure of better opportunities coming my way and will consider them," said Gurmeet.

"Jhalak has meant a lot to me. It has changed my life forever and I have worked really hard in the last four months. There were testing times as I used to shoot for 12 hours for my daily show, travel for two hours and then rehearse for my performance. There were times when I really couldn't do justice to my practice sessions and thought I wouldn't make it. But some unknown passion drove me and I was able to reorient myself and focus on the goal," he added. Clearly, his journey was tough with both superlative and jerky performances and the judges testing him at each stage. "They always expected me to excel and surprise them. Thank God they raised the bar."

Jhalak has helped Gurmeet open up as an actor. "The show has helped me improve my dancing skills, which is a must for any good actor. Also it gave exposure to my talent and helped me expand my range. When you are acting in a daily soap, you are limited by the contours of your character. Your scope to innovate is limited because the audience expects you to act in a certain way. But in multi-performance shows like Jhalak, you have an immense opportunity to show people you can do different things and can mould yourself as an actor," said Gurmeet, whose expressions have been consistently praised by the judges.

Isn't he scared of the ephemerality of seasonal reality shows? "If you follow the past record of the show, you will notice that every contestant and every choreographer who was truly talented has been able to do what they wanted after their success in the show. So I was sure this was the right platform," he added.

The TV hunk, who is trained in martial arts, always wanted to learn dancing but somehow it was never possible. One of the major reasons he opted for the show was to take his passion for dancing seriously and get a crash course of sorts. "I have been a great fan of international dance forms like Rumba, Jazz and Breakdance but never got an opportunity to learn them. I knew a bit of this and that but I wanted to know more about the international dance forms as my body is suited to them. My choreographer in the show, Shampa, realised my strength and used it perfectly during training. Shampa has a keen eye to sense where I am going wrong. During the initial episodes I was never able to score high and Shampa and I thought a lot about it. Both of us realised that we needed to work on concepts that could layer our duets. That was when we came up with the jungle and robot dance. Our concepts were always loved in the show and I think that contributed to our victory. Sometimes it was mentally exhausting to always think of a new theme but our hard work paid off," explained Gurmeet. Post show, he promised to pursue his training in Breakdance and Rumba and specialise in them.

Finally, the humble artiste never forgot his fans of Geet Hui Sabse Parayi and now Punar Vivaah. "In any reality show, the love of your fans really counts. I never put my acting job at stake. Which is why when I performed on stage I always thought I couldn't let my fans down. They had an image of me, having supported me in roles that have defined me today, first as Maan Singh Khurana and now as Yash. I was aware of their high expectations and worked to improve myself. If today I am able to truly enjoy my win, it is only because I know I have done justice to my fans' expectations," he said.

Well, the artiste has also become a better human being. One of the best things that Gurmeet takes away from this show is the art of never saying no. "If you are really passionate about getting something, only hard work can get you there. I have learnt that there are tough times but there should be nothing to deviate you from your goal," he concluded. We raise a toast to that.

LINK: http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/98348

Madhuri ma'am was kind in giving marks; Remo was a strict judge ' Gurmeet Choudhary

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Originally posted by: disha_Maan.GC

heyy thabs, r u there..??
i cant find Yash's bday thread n krazzy gurmeetianz thread on PV... give a bump...
plz😛