MUMBAI: Dancer, choreographer and actor Dharmesh Yelande shared his inspiring and heartwarming tale of his road to success. From quitting college, working as a peon to becoming one of the most prominent choreographers and judge on Indian dance reality shows, in a post for Humans of Bombay, Dharmesh tells his story.
Dharmesh shared, “Our lives turned upside down when the municipality demolished Papa’s shop. So he opened up a tea stall–he’d make 50-60 Rs a day; feeding a family of 4 was tough. But Papa always said, ‘Padhai kabhi nahi chodni chahiye’; he saved every penny for our school fees.”
He wanted to become a dancer and sit in front of the TV and imitate Govinda. “Our house was too small, so I’d go to the street and dance my heart out. In the 6th grade, when I came first in a dance competition, Papa enrolled me in dance classes, in spite of our finances,” he shared. “But my grades dropped. I was 19 when I quit college. I started working as a peon & taught dance to kids–I’d make 1600 Rs a month. After, I’d rush to dance practice. But as I advanced to the senior batch, I quit my job and took up dance full-time. Around then, I worked as a backup dancer in a film–on set, I knew that’s where I was meant to be.”
When Boogie Woogie happened to him coincidentally
In those times, Boogie Woogie was one of the most popular dance shows. Dharmesh reveals how it happened to him, “Soon after, I moved to Bombay and started looking for opportunities in Bollywood. Ma would say, ‘Dance se paise nahi ayenge,’ but to me, dance was like breathing. So when I found out that 2 contestants from Boogie Woogie had backed out, I agreed to fill in. I bagged first place, won 5 lakhs & paid back Papa’s leftover debts. Opportunities poured in, but even after trying for 2 years, I failed to bag a lead role. By then I’d exhausted my finances; I moved back home.”
Getting a chance to choreograph Katrina Kaif Dharmesh shared how he became popular after Dance India Dance. “A few months later, I auditioned for Dance India Dance and got selected! I didn’t win, but I became popular. After that, I got paid in lakhs for guest appearances on dance shows; I even choreographed stars like Katrina Kaif,” he shared.
Things turned around for him Post choreographing Katrina Kaif, Dharmesh adds he got noticed.
He said, “That’s when Remo sir asked me, ‘Meri movie me lead role karega?’ I was on cloud nine!”.
Got his fighting spirit from his papa
“With my earnings, I bought a house for my family but still, Papa runs the same tea stall. I told him, ‘You don’t have to work anymore.’ But he refuses. I think I’ve gotten this never-give-up attitude from him. Because even though there were hurdles, I just followed my heart. Deep down, I’m still that boy dancing to the tunes of Govinda, without a care in the world. So was the hustle worth it? Hell, yeah!”
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Credits: TOI
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