Mumbai: Television star Shveta Salve, glowing in the spotlight for her dance performances on Sony's reality dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, dismisses talk that she is a trained dancer.
"I am not a seasoned dancer. Why would I be allowed to participate if I was? I have worked hard at my dance and it hurts that my hard efforts are being brushed off," Shveta said.
The show's format clearly mentions that only amateurs can participate and producer Siddharth Basu or Sony would not go against the rules, she added.
"My natural ability is being held against me. Should I under-perform to prove I'm not a trained dancer? The judges (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Farah Khan and Shilpa Shetty) are such eminent personalities of the industry and everybody knows what they are doing. Anyway, I will let my work speak for itself," Shveta said.
The grand finale between her and actor Mona Singh, who played Jassi in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, is scheduled on Friday.
Bhansali has compared Shveta with superstar Madhuri Dixit and called her the "best dancer in the country". But, the dusky beauty gives all the credit to her choreographer Longinus.
"Longi, at the moment, means everything to me. What he has done for me only I know. I couldn't have asked for a better partner than him. He is one of the oldest in this profession and thanks to him my performances have been better and better," Shveta said.
"This show has been the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I have established a personal touch with my audience. People, especially senior citizens, come up to me and bless me," she added.
Shveta has been receiving kudos from the small screen industry as well as the Hindi film industry.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said, "Shveta is very diligent and her dancing skills have been going a notch higher every time the show is aired. Her efforts will definitely pay off and my best wishes are with her".
TV actress Achint Kaur said Shveta had brought class to the show and established a benchmark for other participants. "As far as I know, she's not a trained dancer, but dancing is in her blood. Shveta is a very confident person and it shows in her performances and according to me she's the best," she said.
Everyone is talking about the fabulous prize money that will go to the winner this Friday but Shveta is keeping her fingers crossed.
"I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. The contract says 20 per cent is to be given to the choreographer from the channel's side. And if at all I do win, if I want to give something apart from 20 per cent, it's a personal thing. I'll tell you when I win. Right now I don't want to discuss money. I'd rather discuss my dance," a very jittery Shveta said.
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