Prabhudeva speaks about his Bollywood stint so far

Tell us about dancing with so many other noted colleagues?

It was an amazing experience. There are 10 songs in the film, in which I got to dance with some of the best dancers in India. It is amazing how much effort these guys put into their dance. When I was growing up, there used to be one boy from 10 streets who learned to dance. Today, eight boys out of every 10 houses, train in dance. The competition has definitely increased, but the quality is also constantly improving.

When did your tryst with dance begin?

I was never a dancer. But every south Indian household wants their children to learn either dance, classical music or the piano. My parents enrolled me in a Bharatnatyam class when I was in the sixth standard. It was really difficult to wake up every day at 6 am and go for these classes. But I have to thank my dance teachers Dharmaraj and Udipi Lakshminarayanan. They were patient with me and taught me with immense interest. I finally did my Arangethram in class IX. After that, it was Michael Jackson who influenced me. I used to see him on television and imitate his steps. But I never thought of being a dancer even then.

So how did choreography happen?

I was not good at studies and I wasn't interested either. So when I was 14, my father (Mugur Sundar) asked me to assist him in choreography. I went with him on different sets and whenever he was not around, I would take charge of choreography. My first film as a choreographer was Vetri Vizha.

How did you get your first break as a dancer?

While I was choreographing, directors started noticing me. Perhaps, they felt I was a good dancer. They started offering me item numbers in films like Agni Natchathiram, Idhayam and Suriyan. But I gained popularity with Chikku bukku rayile from the film Gentleman.

... contd.

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