Bangkok does get some Bollywood stardust every now and then. Last month, dancing superstar Dharmesh Yelande, better known on the subcontinent as Dharmesh Sir, was in Bangkok to lead a dance workshop at Rizza Dance Company.
Following his stint being one of the most popular and talented contestants on a bevy of dancing reality shows in India, Dharmesh Sir's career has snowballed into Bollywood success, where he has found himself choreographing for other limelight heavyweights such as Akshay Kumar, as well as taking a lead role himself in Disney India's Step Up-esque franchise ABCD (Any Body Can Dance) and ABCD 2. Though he now also serves as a mentor and judge on many dance competitions, teaching dance is one of the hats he has long worn and has yet to hang it up.
He is referred to as Dharmesh Sir after teaching his students for over a decade, but thanks to his unique and upbeat dancing "D" style (which takes after his initials), even the judges on Dance India Dance called him that too upon witnessing his captivating moves. Now even people beyond his dance classrooms also call him Dharmesh Sir (including his own father!).
The 33-year-old taught some Bollywood moves at the first-ever Bollywood celebrity-led workshop in Bangkok, but also shared all the tips to doing the "D" style, which is his own creation that mixes different dance forms, such as lyrical hip hop, animation and semi-jazz.
Rising up to the ranks of superstardom and now based in Mumbai thanks to his pure talent, this Gujarat native's story is the embodiment of a rags-to-riches story from India's Tinseltown. Between his tight schedule and classes, Life talks to this rising dancer about learning to dance, the pros and cons of Bollywood and what's next for him.
You like to dance surely, but how do you like doing other roles related to dance too, be it choreographer, teacher, judge?
It's very difficult because dancing comes very naturally to me, but judging it becomes a bit difficult because I have to choose among the best. Those [competitors] on the reality shows must go through many auditions and are very good so it's hard to choose. I love to teach though and I've been doing it for 18 years. At the workshop here the age group ranged from five to 60 and it can be very difficult to make sure the little children understand what exactly to do. Teaching is a very difficult job that takes a lot of energy and dedication towards the child students, but I love it.
Who are some dance icons you look up to?
Prabhu Deva and Michael Jackson.
Do you feel that it's necessary to take classes in order to be able to dance?
It depends on the person and really varies but it is always better to learn from a teacher who can guide you through the rights and wrongs of the technical terms of dancing. Today, there may be YouTube and so many social platforms where you can see dancing, but you will not understand what is right or wrong as opposed to learning with a good teacher who can tell you right there.
What was it like working on ABCD and ABCD 2?
Acting was very difficult for me because initially, I'm not an actor. I've always been a dancer, choreographer and teacher -- but I had to work really hard in acting. Now I've developed a passion for acting as well and I'm going to be doing many more movies in the future. I've already signed onto three movies and I'm enjoying it. ABCD 3 should come out next year but Banjo will be out this August -- and it's a proper acting movie!
What are some of the best and worst things about Bollywood now that you've gotten into it yourself?
The best thing that happens in Bollywood is if you do have talent, you can make it big there and become a superstar. I think of myself as very normal and the best part is getting to fulfil my dreams and becoming famous -- to me that comes as a blessing.
The worst thing is being a celebrity comes with a lot of baggage. You don't get to spend a lot of time with your family and you can't really roam around freely outside. You have to maintain a certain decorum when meeting people and when you are interacting with the media. You are in a fishbowl, which is difficult for someone like me who's come up from the grassroots level.
What was it that got you interested in dancing at the very beginning?
It's God-gifted. When I was in the womb and the music started playing, I would start kicking inside! It came to me as God's gift really -- no one in my family has done this before and no one is a dancer. I didn't really have to push myself to learn to dance, since I could remember, it just came to me very naturally.
Dharmesh Sir, second right, in a scene from ABCD 2. Photo courtesy of ABCD 2
