Choreographer Kruti Mahesh is dancing her way to success

Hyderabad: Since the release of the recent magnum opus ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, songs from the film ‘Dholida’ and ‘Jhume re ghori’ are going viral among Instagram Reel and YouTube Shorts lovers. Well, all the credit for the amazing choreography goes to Kruti Mahesh who has also previously made us all hit the dance floor with the […]

Hyderabad: Since the release of the recent magnum opus ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, songs from the film ‘Dholida’ and ‘Jhume re ghori’ are going viral among Instagram Reel and YouTube Shorts lovers. Well, all the credit for the amazing choreography goes to Kruti Mahesh who has also previously made us all hit the dance floor with the perfect garba steps in ‘Ghoomar’ from ‘Padmaavat’.

The mastermind choreographer gets candid with ‘Hyderabad Today’ and shares some snippets from her experience working with such a massive project and with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

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How do you describe your overall experience working with ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’?

Well, since I was part of all the songs in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, it felt like I was part of the journey of the character. It was thoroughly creatively satisfying as every song has been treated very differently. I could see the becoming of Gangu through the songs and it surely was an experience that I’ll carry for life.

The songs in the film also depict some part of the storyline. How was it to bring that to reality?

Every song in the film has a narrative, meaning and a situation that needs to be taken ahead from or to. And Gangubai has been through so much pain that cannot just be said at all times, it needed to be portrayed on-screen as well and ‘Dholida’ was one such instance where Sanjay sir wanted to show the anguish of Gangu. She starts by being all cheerful but by the end she is reminded of all her pain and just vents it through her dance. And that translation was definitely not easy.

How was it working with Alia Bhatt? How is it different from working with Deepika Padukone?

Alia Bhatt is tremendously amazing and a true artiste. She is very true to her form and her job, and I think that is what her USP is. She is very observant — when I show her a few steps, she immediately catches it and becomes the character so well that you feel amazed at times. While Deepika was my first solo choreography, she always remains special for me. She knows her body too well and gives a thousand per cent to any kind of dance forms.

How did working with Bhansali films happen? And describe your experience?

Ah! That’s a long story. I got a call from the Bhansali office for ‘Ram Leela’ while I was with ‘Dance India Dance 2’. However, because of my legal contract with the show, I could not take up the offer. But thankfully, I got a chance to assist Remo D’souza for ‘Deewani Mastani’ and ‘Pinga’ in ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and then was offered an independent choreography for ‘Ghoomar’ in ‘Padmaavat’.

Well, working with Bhansali sir is surely a dream come true. He thinks at god speed and to match with him for even 5 per cent is a great achievement, I feel. The process is surely an eye-opener in such levels that I myself explored some unknown sides of me as well. And when Bhansali sir comes up to me and says, ‘Baccha, well done, good job’, it is such a great pleasure that cannot be matched to even winning an award.