The man who keeps Aamir Khan on his toes

Avit Dias had a dream — to be a choreographer in a Bollywood movie. But even in the wildest of his dreams he hadn’t bargained for what he got — choreograph none other than Aamir Khan.

Avit is a dance teacher at Don Bosco School, Matunga. His only link with Bollywood was a friend who knew Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

“I met Vidhu Vinod Chopra. He was looking for a choreographer for 3 Idiots. He asked me to meet Raju Hirani and told me that he would be the one taking the decision. I also knew that the decision would have to be approved by Aamir too,” said Avit.

Surprisingly they both agreed to have him on board than opt for a seasoned choreographer — the first for any Aamir Khan movie and a rare instance in Bollywood.

“I knew that I had been hired to provide a different perspective to the dance number. I went to Bangalore and practiced my steps for a day before starting the choreography. Then one day Rajkumar Hirani told me that Aamir will be on the sets the next day. I was a little apprehensive about whether he would approve my steps or not. But he turned out to be a very nice man,” said Avit with a smile.

Speaking more about Aamir, he said, “He follows your instructions to a tee. If he likes anything he always says ‘accha hai’. But whenever he is quiet it means he is thinking if something is right or not.”

Avit’s six-year-old son Brenden wants to be a choreographer too. He proudly announces to his friends that his papa has directed “Aamir uncle’.