Mumbai, Dec 10 (IANS): Comedian and actor Rajiv Thakur, who is currently seen as the contestant in the show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’, reminisced about his childhood memories, recalling the times when he used to watch actress Meenakshi Sheshadri’s movies on the VCR.
The celebrity dance reality show saw the presence of Meenakshi in the special episode, titled 'Marzi Meenakshi Ki’. It marked the celebration of Meenakshi’s illustrious 40-year journey in the film industry.
In a unique twist, Rajiv Thakur, along with choreographer Suchitra Sawant, infused the spirit of Garba into Govinda's timeless hit, ‘Main Toh Raaste Se Ja Raha Tha’, paying homage to Meenakshi’s favourite co-star.
Meenakshi, who was quite impressed with the act, said, “I enjoyed it a lot. You are a born comedian. You made me laugh so much that now my cheeks are hurting. There are many reasons for Govinda being my favourite co-star. The first reason is that he also comes from a classical music family, and his mother was a singer, so he sings very well.”
“Very few people know that while shooting, Govinda and I used to sing classical songs together, and the producers/directors used to say, 'What is happening here?' It's a very, very rare kind of rapport. He's an amazing dancer, with amazing expressions. I learned so much from him, along with a bit of mischief too. He's a versatile actor. Although he has done many comedy films, if you see him in other avatars, he is just mind-blowing. I hope I get the opportunity to work with him again,” added the 60-year-old actress.
Rajiv, a huge fan of Meenakshi then shared his fondest memory of watching her films on a VCR at a neighbour's house.
Rajiv shared: “Seeing Meenakshi ji makes me so happy because you are a part of many golden memories of life. In the days of the VCR, when we didn't have enough money to go to the theatre, we used to go to those houses in our neighbourhood that had a VCR, and put our ears to the door and listen to your films. There was a house nearby where they would set up the VCR at night. If the doors and windows were closed, we would climb and watch the film."
Judge Farah Khan was also enthralled by Rajiv’s captivating and entertaining performance.
She said: “Rajiv, I enjoyed it. Suchitra, you are handling him very well. You're tapping into his comedy in between, and I liked the whole sequence. Suchitra and Rajiv, it was a very entertaining act, and you chose the right song.”
Adding to the compliments, Judge Malaika Arora said, “I think, first of all, performing Garba on this song is a very interesting combination. When you picked up the dandiya sticks, I thought that was the nicest part. You caught all the beats, and executed all the movements. I think there is an improvement in you Rajiv, and that is a good thing.”
“He is not just focusing on comedy; he is also paying attention to dance, and that is very important,” added Malaika.
‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ airs on Sony.