Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa –Made in India, Really???

I am a Jhalakite and I look forward to weekends specially for each of the contestants' performances and also I am glued to Twitter for all the lovely responses that I have been getting from fan pages and the Contestants themselves. So let me begin by Thanking Raftaar and Sneha Kapoor for actually taking time out and letting me know that they indeed liked my blog. Not only that but Sneha Kapoor was kind enough to connect Shubhreet my #SteelnCotton Lady and she was so prompt in acknowledging that she indeed read my Blog and also liked it. Such moments are wealth for a blogger and works more than any remuneration .It makes me roam around on my Twitter and enjoy this journey with all the updates that begin pouring in from the Colors handle and from all the contestants.I can only hope that other contestants follow their example and lemme know they read my feedback and if nothing else make our Little Man Faisal Khan read and transfer the importance of how much his Fans value him...

We had Independence Theme as “Made in India” and well I had my emotional moments…Wow moments and …Ok ..theek he moments…
Jhalak - Made in India...Really?? We Indians are Funny populace and We so love to Declare our patriotism and do Tentpole Advertising that every Single one of us loves to Encash the moment...Hmm...so this week on jhalak I had my ahaa moments...made me teary eyed made me frown and well Floored me into my Fandom...

So Jhalak guys do forgive me if I give out glares and muhmuahhhs!!! First Day was Well uneventful and not so ...umm...memorable only till it lasted...Made in India was the Theme but the representation was fuzzy by the Contestants ...maybe they did not understand ...maybe they just did their own thing...or maybe we expected something else...

Ashish Chowdhary has a designer who does not quite understand his ocassion and needs. I am glad he is sporting enough to accept jokes from Manish that "He is a Non Dancer from saat janam" In this Act too I do feel energy was missing and it was going a little crazy and messy.At times he was lost and fumbled a bit. Now he needs to shake up and wake up and actually get moving into the zone we call dance.

Raftaar and Sneha made an attempt to give a tribute to Lord Shiva and show a war Dance. One word of advice to anyone who attempts dance at its formative stage…Do not attempt Dances that have so many deeper and sacred overtones to it. It kinda puts pressure to Deliver and adds Stress ...

 for it requires years of practice to perfect a TAANDAV DANCE OR WAR DANCE…you simply cannot do justice to it when you have break neck schedules..
Two minute limitations and one week preparations…you just cannot. End of matter! It is not to say that a disrespect was intended as Poor Raftaar later Apologised on Twitter…you tried is all I can say but You are not yet a seasoned Dancer to get all the Nuances perfect and bring that energy that so brings the viewers to the edge. There were energetic moments and there were Fumbles and tumbles …like when Raftaar threw her choreo partner violently that showed immense trust but when he could not maintain the final pose ..it spelled Disaster…All I can say is it happens and next time do not combine any routines which will put pressure on your as yet amateur shoulders...

After all you are just about learning to dance and perfect the moves why get into the zone of Deep reverent classical moves…?

Irfan Pathan came clean n Clear and he looked awesome and handsome.Why do men keep Foliage on their faces n mar their USP beats me..Shahid . ..Sun raha hain na tu??? Keh rahi hu main...!!!

Shahid was a thorough Professional and a Darling with Saif Ali khan and Katrina Kaif who had come to promote their upcoming film Phantom. To sit with Serenity and face a man who shares a past is well worth applauding.He gave Meera  and Us an Awwww .with "My fav is Meera"...all followed suit ..but he told his Newly Wed Publicly..I'm done with the past and you need proof I Give it to you..Shahid ...If I wouId be Meera I wouId snoozycuddle you loads ... !

We had cute moments there with Cricket and stuff but well...it was too short and they were weary of letting themselves loose...Jhalak was maybe too energetic for them...it is mad jesty place and they are well too Solemn a folks... Irfan did try a Gujarati Garba and Dandia...

he is just about getting there with his moves.He is still awkward a bit and most of the work is carried out by His choreo partner …but he needs to gear up now. He was quite taken in by the feedback he was getting from social media from his fans…just what I keep telling in my blogs again and again…

It is the time of Instant feedback and instant reviews and instant connect …Oh dear contestants do not shy away from connecting with us fans after all are we fans not expected to use our telephone lines and vote for long times while we sacrifice our weekend times? The least can be expected is well…a retweet or a reply and most of the contestants are getting there and we are one very Happy lot for all those who are heeding the advice and well we wait for those who are yet to wake up !!!

SANAYA IRANI put in a MUJRA FORM...

I loved the performance but I detest the song that was chosen …I mean Mujra is such a Nazaakat laden dance with eye movements intentional stares and seduction galore only through beautiful moves of the body and suggestiveness that comes from eyes and facial expression.

It calls for lot of thehraav so to speak but the choreo chose a Kinky song …titillating song that just did not fit the ambience so while Sanaya did her best to bring her inimitable charm to the entire performance the entire Act failed to leave an impact that would last more than the time it was there…after a stunning last week, this disappointed.The choreo cannot keep depending on Sanaya's persona to carry on all the ACTS..he needs to really get his creative shoes on and groove…but I do feel it is little unfair for Sanaya …and a stern Question “Is this Made in India really?” Do we Indians stand for “Baby doll main Sonedi?” Do we not have mujras from “In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane huzaaron hain?” Do we not have “Dil cheez kya hain aap meri jaan lijiye?” Guess Her choreo must have not seen these old versions…so Ganesh and I FIND ourselves on the same wavelength once again…where he admonished her eyes and face and hands not co ordinating ...after the last week stunner this performance was a wee bit disappointing for me. I am certainly expecting that Her choreo will do in-depth research and truly give us our Sanaya in all her full glory...

I know by now I am thoroughly spoiled by my readers and so am getting really Frank and furious but We are talking India this week and deeper Dance forms deserve more work and Dedication from the Choreographer ...Ganesh you are so right there that It is a Dance and every Dance has its Disciplinary mandate and it must be followed...

Vivian and Her Choreographer Bhawna put in a truly fantastic thoughtful and Serene theme of Alert India and Dormant India...They looked Indian with their Simple Costumes and Yes Vivian was and is steadily gaining Ground like India herself....pausing maybe a bit and pushing limits maybe a bit...

Both supported each other and personified Simplicity ...But there was Vision and India in their performances.I loved the Act and was left with pensive mood. Yes Bhawna you are there and your Contestant is moulding himself and willing ...Make Hay while the Sun shines and while the Contestant is showing promise...Vivian I so admire that you are shedding your inhibitions and enjoying the Jhalak season.

Another Versatile Damsel my #PrettyLassy put in an Athletic Do and we so so loved it.

She enamoured us with her Representation of Mary Kom . We are proud of Mary and now of Scarlet. She depicted the Same Passion that Mary brought in her pursuit of Sports and Victory...

Scarlet wins hearts by making extra efforts to know and Absorb the peace of India that resides in Religious Spaces...We have so many of them .Gurlie...India openly embraces those who surrender...and we already love you.

I like the continuous Stance of Hands and aggression Scarlet kept in her entire Tiny frame. She could have given a whack or two to her Choreo by mistake...she was so involved and it showed.I love it when Stars get in the skin of the Character and stay there...Lotsa luv Lassy ...You represented a very Passionate and Simple India in the most Adorable India...

Probably the only Memorable Act of  the Day one as I forgot too soon whatever transpired that Day...and was not too hopeful about Day two...for I was little embittered for How my India was not wholly represented with Dignity or in its full glory ...and I'm getting a little annoyed at the inneudos and double entendres...My Question "Can Humour be Not Responsible?" Can Humour not be Doled out to depict Class? Why Does it have to be Crass?"

But Day Two will go down as the most Memorable and Endearing Day ...few things happened which I will keep in my Heart for a long time to come and not forget in a hurry!!!
It began with a faceoff between two cutiepies Radhika Madan and Faisal Khan.

#MilkMaiden looked so Decked up and they represented Classic Dance forms and I repeat...

Novices should not try something that only seasoned Dancers can do ! Though she looked so pretty in jhatkas and made cute and nakhra faces....There was a certain lack of energy in the entire Act and it made me wonder if she already knew her fate was sealed and she will be the one to be eliminated... She looked so ethereal and from another world with her Nakhra se full Chammak Challo...She indeed was our Jhalak ka Chammak Challo...I will so sorely miss her...She could have stayed a bit longer to dazzle us and grow as a Dancer.She did represent A lovely aspect of India and lend a respect to the Theme of "Made in India" ....maybe she accepted defeat during Technical rehearsals when she saw what she was up against ...and she was up against a Mighty opponent who is what we call #EffortlessGrace...A #Masterpiece..
I subscribe to this Little Man's Fandom and often Lot of post n preAct comments n judgements are Directed at me . He is totally unavailable at the Social media level in that he does not come out to interact n take bows from his adoring Fans. The moment preAct pictures began doing the rounds...it was a Shocker...Faisal was to attempt a Laavni...

Traditional Maharashtrian Dance!!! Holy God!!! N that too as a Lavni Dancer...Damnation...Arre Deva...was my first thought for so many things can go wrong and He is so Young...if he were to do one wrong thing...one Drag move and all hell let loose on him...maybe but me too ..all those family members...acquaintances...fans...would well deprecate...But I have faith...so far in this #Honeydrip there is no Vulgarity...no shred of contamination and all purity and sincere hard work in oodles...so I waited to see what unfolds...

LAVNI is special for I have witnessed the classic forms on my Black and white Television by The Ethereal beauties of The Times when Dance was revered as a Form to be perfected...Art to be absorbed ...when Faisal entered draped in full Navvaari pink and green and the Foot work...told me...He is a winner...out and out...Lavni is seduction by a fully clad woman who entices and yet has an attitude of "Savour me from Afar" She connects and so did Faisal with every perfect Stance.. Grace...Abandon ...and I was waiting for the EyeBrow Arch...and was delighted beyond Glee to see it come out so perfect...the innocent Facial expressions pretending Naivete...Perfect...Amazing...Intense...magic...Riveting...Magnetic....

Oh I need to stop praising this Dude .He brought back all those memories of childhood back...he kept the Dignity Intact...Every nuance of Lavni covered from entry to opening of Face to Nakhras to Final Namaskar...was Vaishnavi there?? I did not notice and I feel it was only and only Faisal Act. He proved that when An Actor and Dancer and a Hard worker takes over nothing is impossible...he was probably the only one who successfully attempted a Traditional Dance and did full justice...

And here a word to Mr Vivek Chachere...guess we will share a love hate relationship ...for I blame him one blog and send love in another but what to do? You are the Sutradhar of my Masterpiece...you outta keep him that way...so accept my love for this amazing Lavni... Of course I hear that a Mr Ashish Patil lend his expertise to you..it was required that one have a deep discerning knowledge for this Dance form which made it possible for him to come forward and do it with Panache and in full glory...

A man dressed as girl can appear as a Drag..Thanks for not letting that happen...and so it rendered the Judges Speechless ...give a Standing Ovation and applause ...and perfect 40 and the Immunity Ball...keeping my little one Safe for next week..
But I have a complaint..Ganesh I wanted to know what you felt about the Dance...why did you not say something? Anything?

I have a complaint  to Faisal...after such a rocking Do you never come forward to take your fans Bows and comments....and they feel so disheartened...for their sake I am putting few screenshots of Fan comments as is...I hope someone Sensible...sensitive out there in Jhalak house let the Little Man know How much we value him...that once in a while let your fans in and Hear them and take your Bows ...Here are few post episode madness of your fans who love you and want to let you know through their Edits and tweets and let you know you are sorely missed on twitter handle post your Act...

                       FAN'S SECTION

My Moment of grin and fondly hug Faisal comes when in my chat comes a message from an unexpected corner Congratulating me for being a Fan and Faisal for his Dance. This person is totally a Non TV person and not from my Fan world but my Homeschooling world. She happens to glance at Jhalak and was convinced why I was a Fan of this super wonder called Faisal Khan...

Oh Dudo...Thank you for keeping my faith in you glowing and kicking and rising ever High..
I request other Fan worlds to connect and send me Edits n screenshots and I am sure to cover them in my next blog as a gift of this lovely moment when someone told me *Have not seen such Dance in years...he was unbelievably Good...* He was...More than good...it is not an easy task to bring the vulnerable feminine spice and Demure Viles n guiles of a Woman throwing a Lavni Dance...You are gifted is all I can mumble between "Wow" n "OMG"

We had Shamita Shetty and Mohit Malik cooking up a storm and Riot with raunchy numbers.

Shamita is another Dignified Damsel who just cannot look Vulgar no matter what and So is Mohit..

He looked  at everybody dazed still after his Lollypop laglelu ...Like Did I just do that???  He created his own Brand of Charm and Churned out rollicking Dhimtadak dance that one cannot just sit and take in...you had to get up and Go a little Crazy with him and yourself and your half a dozen guests who are anyways in a party mood.Mohit Malik you were a surprise package out there with Marishcha and you made us laugh and roll and go Rowdy on a Sunday...Loved the madness...

Shamita too danced in her full buxom madness literally all out and there with movements changing faster than wind and with all the aahhh and oohhhs...My Petite femme ain't Tremblin anymore if at all she is all set to create Tremors for Bystanders and all would want to be that"Pritam pyaare " she is beckoning to dance at her beck and call. She was a Sexy Bullet men would not mind getting wounded...

Stand alone the Acts were cool but My question again...They brought in people and asked "Do they dance like that when they see girlies? Do we need that kind of India? Just Now when Safety and Dignity of women are explored debated and empowerment demanded do you not think That kind of Crass Humour call should be avoided?? Can humour be not responsible..? can it not be created without Denigrating Women ?

As Acts I enjoyed What Shamita Did Mohit Did...as Representation of India I express my Displeasure and Deep discontent.
Then Came a Moment I shall cherish Forever...In came Shubhreet my #SteelnCotton lady walking all by herself with her New Gift...Ganesh Hegde took personal interest and arranged all the Details of Fixing the Prosthetic Companion for her.You will have a special place in my heart for this Tender gesture...For this sensitivity...and I ask

Can Jhalak not represent such genuine moments...Does India not stand for Giving...and basking in the Joy of Receiving. I salute this Spirit of Ganesh...I bow to Shubhreet too for allowing us to witness this rare combination of Grit that I am Complete ...yet I accept humbly this new Challenge. For it will be one...

All these years she mentally and physically trained herself and resolved to live differently but now she needs to go on a Different phase yet again. Another Adventure young lady...Surmount it and Enjoy it. Dancing with this companion maybe Tad bit new and will require Adjustments...If anyone can you can ...GoodLuck...I have lived with limited Vision and then to Adjust to lenses was at best described funny ...but once the fun attitude Kicks in ...Life takes on another hue...
Coming to your Dance ...

Again you represented our National Bird and Joie de Vivre of Love and Pride...You were a little off key at places...first time...but challenging oneself is your Forte.

I guess the Heavy Costumes did you In...and again Ganesh send in his by far Adorable Sensitive Insight..."I can never get your level of Difficulty ...so true" Darn right...We can only just begun to empathise ...or understand How each move can and gets perfected...for a normal Dancer it may take an hour...in this case maybe Hours...Go on young lady ...our Respects and love and Pride and blessings ...and more are with you...

Everyone gets to hug you...and Katrina Kaif could  not resist hugging you and saluting your spirit..Will I ever get the Honour? And Manish Sure knows to break the Sombre Blanket of Awkward Moments and get back on track...Excellent use of Humour I would say...This is the express purpose of Humour to infuse Life in a situation where none existed...I want to drive Home this simple truth...Humour can inspire and  be responsible and laden with candour...it refreshes and uplifts...not make you look for a place to hide...

I want to enjoy the Show more than ever with my kids...From Manish may My kids derive the witty whacky on the spot Humour...From Karan his ever present ever enveloping Sophistication...He is truly the #PiedPiperofJhalak who truly guides the Show under his Presence ...he brings in his refreshing and at times Biting barbs and at times sends in charming darts of giggling Gaffes...I love it...
Shahid too is finding his niche and yet he is little unsure and hesitant to straight Go n kill...Maybe afraid of Controversy it may stir or feelings he might hurt...so he is like a really nice Guy...with a Bushy foliage...I'm going to keep on pushing my advantage...Till I get what I want...Clean and Green Shahid...what say??
Ganesh has a place in ma Heart forever.He will be in my books as a lovely human being...Sensitive...and I will so smile again if he goes in the mood of a week back... "Toh mat bol" He is so cute with his gentle Digs at Lauren's Hindi...Which is equally hilarious...we quite love your efforts at mastering our Language...you will get the hang until then your Desi girl will entertain and represent you totally...we will go to sleep dreaming about a poetry attired in Green ...Might be you are a Dream girl for many a Tender naive young dudes...?? Sending Shout outs to your fans too to send me their Fan madness...

At the end Jhalak had me singing an infamous line from the Shah Rukh Khan starter "Phirbhi Dil hain Hindustaani...Apni chatri tumko de de kabhi Jo barse paani...kabhi naye packet me beche tumko cheez puraani...Phirbhi Dil hain Hindustaani"

That is what we are ...Made in India...sometimes happy sometimes sad...sometimes polite sometimes crass...kabhi Khilaadi kabhi Anaadi...Hate us or love us...world can no longer ignore us.. Signing off until next week...my Happy hours begin by Wednesday with Updates and news and tweets and we swing...big time...A whole world exists before and after an episode.. Jhalak guys do you take note????

Start a conversation with me on Twitter:@SonnalP74

The author claims no rights over the images used in this post.

© Sonnal Pardiwala. All Rights Reserved.