New Delhi: From acting in India’s first dance based 3D movie “ABCD” to participating in celebrity reality show and then judging it in the next season, dancer-turned- actress Lauren Gottlieb credits destiny for bringing her to India.
The 27-year-old dancer, who hails from US, says her journey in the country has been a dream run. “Offer of ‘ABCD’ came at very crucial time in my life. In West you cannot act and dance together but I wanted to do both. And after acting for a year there was a time when I was in the run for the lead role in ‘Step Up 4’. But instead of me, a very good friend of mine got the role.
“The same night I got an email from UTV about ‘Any Body Can Dance’ and they wanted me for it. I think God gave me the opportunity and without giving it a second thought I came here,” Lauren told PTI. She is one of the most sought after dancers in Bollywood with successful item numbers in movies like “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”, “Welcome To Karachi” and the upcoming “Welcome Back”.
“I never knew something like this (Bollywood) existed, where you can’t act without dancing. I never grew up saying I wanted to be in Bollywood. I was chosen to be here and the success which came is not a surprise, it was there in my destiny,” she said. The “So You Think You Can Dance” finalist has choreographed and worked with many celebrities but her dream is to set a dance routine for Hrithik Roshan.
“I have said it so many times and he may think I am crazy but Hrithik is the one I would love to choreograph for. We have seen him dancing for years, he is so brilliant. My forte is making someone do something that is never done before. Among actresses, Alia would be real fun as I find her very relatable.”
Lauren, who excels in various Western forms, wants to learn Indian classical dance. “If I get the time I will surely learn Bharatnatyam or Kathak and understand the complete dance form. I love the fact that these people study their whole life.” She is currently judging the celebrity dance reality show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded” and says the language is the biggest challenge for her.
“It is a surreal feeling. ‘Jhalak…’ has given me some of the best memories of my life and coming back as a judge is a great honour. However, the language Hindi is a big challenge. I feel a lot of responsibility because the comments we make have an impact on participants. But, with judges like Shahid (Kapoor), Karan (Johar) and Ganesh (Hegde) by my side it has become a big party.” PTI
