On this International Dance Day, actor-dancer Shantanu Maheshwari has given tribute to his mother, Sandhya Maheshwari, for encouraging him to pursue the art form. “I just had the talent and my mom pursued it hard as she loved singing and dancing. She always thought I would excel in front of the camera, while I just wanted to be behind it. So, she lived her dream through me,” he told Hindustan Times.
About the importance of dance in his life, and Maheshwari said, “I always associate dance with happiness. It’s because of dancing that I have been able to meet so many people, get recognition and get introduced to my passion for acting. It has open so many avenues for me.” The artiste has even represented India on a global platform with his crew Desi Hoppers at World Of Dance and America’s Got Talent, and he called it “my best years”. “Our idea was to bring India on the world dancing map. We created a big movement for dance,” he said.
While his love for dance is eternal, the 33-year-old did take a break from it as a youngster since the “dancer tag” prevented him from pursuing other chances. He had a similar problem when he attempted to enter the acting industry. “I got the tag that since I was a dancer, I can only do dance-based roles. Breaking that notion was very difficult, but Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) proved to people that I can also act in projects that don’t require dancing,” he says.
Interestingly, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was unaware of his dance experience before signing him. “When people told him about it, he said to me, ‘par tumhe is movie mein dance karne ko nahi milega’,” he said. He remembered, indicating that acting came to him by coincidence. He said that he did his debut program, Dil Dosti Dance (D3), just for money. “It was just the chance to be able to pay my education fees myself. Acting ka aisa koi shauk nahi tha mujhe.”
Maheshwari's involvement in dance reality shows such as Kya Masti Kya Dhoom and Boogie Woogie highlighted his early exposure to the competitive dance scene. While he appreciated these platforms for providing a launchpad for talented individuals, he's disheartened by their declining significance over time. “Many people out there have converted it in a career path that do a reality show, and then get into dancing. Don’t use an art form as a stepping stone,” he requested.
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