Step up & shake a leg

 

It took me sometime to bounce back with my energy levels, but it wasn’t tough, thanks to our director and choreographer Remo D’Souza and the whole team, who spent a lot of time with all of us, teaching us how to perfect the dance moves. We learnt 18 dance styles like krumping, digiting, waacking, house, B-boying and I’ve done contemporary in the song Chunar, which is dedicated to all the moms. I’ve done an aerial silk performance with a chunari and also four new styles in the pre-climax and the climax song.”

 

Being childhood friends, the camaraderie and chemistry between the two co-stars is quite evident, as Shraddha, who’s looking leaner, fitter and stronger chips in with a smile, “We’ve grown up together and he’s got great energy and is a very positive person and is always very focussed. Remo was a strong force and would help enact the scene and show us how he wanted it. He never lost his cool and always had a calm disposition. I had a partial muscle tear and almost had to opt out in the beginning of the film, but I healed quickly and bounced back. We had to rehearse a lot, but it was worth it. In the Sun Sathiya song, a lot of hard work has gone in. In Las Vegas, we got to see some amazing street dancers.”  

 

Talking about her hobbies, the 26-year-old Shraddha, who will be next seen in Rock On! and Baaghi, shares, “I love singing, dancing, travelling, reading, gardening, eating good food and I eat every two hours. Although I do my regular workouts, I’m quite lucky to be genetically thin.”

 

Agreeing on their cool chemistry, Varun adds, “Shraddha’s been my rock throughout the film and is always so bubbly. We’re good friends in real life, so it just translates onto the screen beautifully. There were fun memorable moments, when we were shooting for the Bezubaan song and there was lot of water required for the shoot and all of us kept slipping. In Las Vegas we had a blast with the whole team shooting together. I had taken my mother with me to Las Vegas, so I got to spend one day with her, but otherwise the shoot schedule was hectic. It was mum’s birthday on June 12 and since I’m very close to her I spent time with her. We also shot in Grand Canyon where I jump from one mountain to another. We had our awkward moments when we were struggling to get the steps right, but otherwise it was a great learning experience.”

 

A Michael Jackson tattoo on Varun’s right arm catches our attention and Varun reveals, “I’ve been passionate about dance and music since the age of three. Remo sir also has a Michael Jackson tattoo. I’ve got a Michael Jackson, Shiva tattoo doing the tandav and a Sanskrit shloka for the mother inked for my character Suresh in this film, but they aren’t permanent, besides some piercing.”

 

About his future projects, Varun states, “I’m working on Dilwale next with Shah Rukh Khan, directed by Rohith Shetty. We’re flying to Bulgaria after ABCD 2 releases in 3D this Friday.”