Mumbai: Sooraj Pancholi says working on the complex moves of Latin-ballroom dance is what helped him break the ice with co-star Isabelle Kaif, while working on their film “Time To Dance”.
This is the first time Sooraj was working with newcomer and Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle, and the long hours of rehearsals helped them become buddies within three days, he told IANS.
“The fact is both of us were learning a new dance form, and in Latin-ballroom form you are always holding the hand of your dance partner. Since we were not friends from before, it was initially awkward. On the dance floor, both of us were making mistakes, falling, and then we would start laughing at the whole situation! So yes, we laughed it off and realised we were on the same boat. It helped us to understand how we as dancers can support each other while doing steps. I would say, with the long hours of rehearsal, in three days, we became good buddies,” said Sooraj.
With “Time To Dance”, Sooraj is back trying his luck at the box office for the third time, after his romantic debut Hero (2015) and the 2019 action drama Satellite Shankar failed to make much of an impact.
“I have never acted in a film that required me to dance that much because I have only been part of action and drama films. But one day Remo D’Souza called me and said he had a story idea for a dance film, but it was not a Bollywood dance, or hip-hop or any other popular dance form that we see in films. It had everything to do with street dance and Latin-ballroom. Initially, I was excited because I thought I would learn something different. Secretly I always wanted to be part of a dance film, though I never got a chance,” Sooraj said.
However, things were different when he started rehearsing.
“One week of understanding the dance form and I realised Latin dance is tough to learn, and I was supposed to play a professional dancer as a participant in a dance competition. But I am someone who gives up easily, so I extended my time of practice and worked hard to learn the form over three months,” claimed Sooraj.
Directed by Stanley D’Costa, the film also features — Waluscha De Sousa, Saqib Saleem, Rajpal Yadav among others.