'Katrina Kaif has outdone herself in 'Chikni Chameli''

He’s made the Who’s Who of the industry dance to his tunes and after nearly two decades of choreography, Ganesh Acharya is still going strong. And his latest number, Chikni Chameli from Karan Johar’s Agneepath has already sent the nation in a tizzy.

“I put myself to test — this was my first choreography for Dharma Productions and I was keen on proving myself. Also, Katrina (Kaif) is associated with a graceful sensuality. I wanted to present her differently to the audience,” he states, adding, “I wouldn’t be wrong in saying that post this song, Katrina’s image has undergone quite a change.” Ganesh confesses that while filming this number, he constantly had Sheila Ki Jawani (from Tees Maar Khan) as a reference point. “Katrina performed brilliantly and I knew both the numbers would be compared but undoubtedly, she has outdone herself in Chikni… I wanted this number to surpass regular item numbers and hence, worked on her expressions, attitude and movements,” he recollects, adding, “The popularity of the number worries me too — I have set a very high benchmark for myself.” The choreographer is all praise for the makers of the film.

“Karan’s (Johar) films usually have a lot of music in them but a number like this is a first for them too and I didn’t want to give him a chance to complain,” he quips.

Looking back, Ganesh feels that the way choreographers are perceived has changed. “Dance and Bollywood go hand-in-hand and choreographers are finally being given their due.

Choreographers are being recognised for individual numbers in films without having the stars attract all the attention,” he says.

And whosoever thought their task was easy, is mistaken. “My job isn’t just about teaching dance — I need to know the script, the situation, camera angles and so on. Moreover, I constantly need to upgrade. We are working in times when new dance forms emerge every second day,” informs Ganesh. The choreographer feels that there are few actors with two left feet. “Those who say can’t dance actually have more inhibitions about their abilities. They all have a lesson to learn from me,” he signs off.