“If you work hard, nothing is impossible.”
“Of course I’d like someone in my life. And of course, when I go home in the evening, I wish there was someone waiting for me. But very honestly, I don’t have time to be lonely. My work fills up most of my day, and when I get home, I just want to sleep.”
“Before, there was a culture that said Mumbai is separate, Telugu films should be separate. Now, everyone is working together. It’s cool.”
“It’s fun matching steps with younger actors. It gives me the confidence to keep going.”
“I like Mysuru Palace, which is always a great place to visit.”
“Everything changes when I dance… I am a taskmaster there. I am the creator. I am high on dance – my expression, body language… I am like a fire.”
“As a parent, I tell my boys to keep away their smartphones and go outdoors and play. I take them to our farm where my father does a bit of farming, where they get their hands dirty. It is their digital detox.”
“’Lakshmi’ is a dance film, a musical that deals with the emotional bond between the guru and his sishya.”
“I’m very camera shy, but I realise it’s important to promote films.”
“I live in today and take it slowly.”
“I love cake or any sweets.”
“It is not easy for a dancer to be accepted as an actor. But I worked my way up through hard work and by God’s grace.”
“In ‘ABCD1,’ it was only me. The character I play has his own charisma. But In ‘ABCD2,’ the film has gotten bigger with stars like Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan teaming up with me. The story is also completely different, so viewers can expect something totally new.”
“I had been choreographing and dancing for a good 12 years before I did ‘Que Sera Sera’ for Boney Kapoor. I did it for two reasons – one, I shared a good rapport with Boney, and the more important reason, Madhuri Dixit.”
“There have been so many ‘James Bond’ movies, ‘Spiderman’ films, ‘Mission Impossible’ series, etc. Is there any difference in the basic story? Yet, each time there’s a release, people are excited.”
“In my films, they say the action sequences are very local and not international. But why should I copy from English films?”
“I just feel that if people write about a film, then they should also write about audience’s response.”
“I am very excited because ‘ABCD’ is India’s first dance film. I am also thrilled because the film is in 3D. People will be able to see my dance in 3D.”
“’ABCD’ is a very good film – the story, the production value – everything is excellent.”
“I make films for people to smile, laugh, and have fun.”
“’Que Sera Sera’ had a very unusual rhythm. It was a challenge for me to pick up Rahman’s beats and translate them into dance steps.”
“If anyone is calling me to choreograph a dance, they know my style, and they know I am a taskmaster. They want to present themselves as a good dancer before their fans, and that is why they want me to choreograph.”
“Yes, anybody can dance. Whether it is right or wrong, that doesn’t matter.”
“When I work in a film like an actor, I do not interfere or try to use my seniority or impose anything on the filmmaker.”
“It isn’t easy to create a dance show, and it’s different from choreographing for films… You need a lot of stamina and practice.”
“A lot of heroines ask me to make the dance steps easier.”
“Madhuri did the moonwalk in ‘Que Sera Sera’ perfectly. We didn’t think it would become so iconic.”
“I think dance is my extension. There is nothing that I can imagine without dance.”
“I became a director by accident. M.S. Raju garu asked me to direct a movie, and I said OK. It all happened in 5 minutes.”
“I have no definition of life. Just be happy and don’t think about the past.”
“When I was building my career as a choreographer, acting just happened.”
“The audience loves watching masala films, and I love to make what the audience likes. I also think it is easy to make a masala film.”
“Once you begin shooting, Bollywood actors get totally involved in their roles, and that gives you an edge in getting what you want out of them.”
“’Ramaiya Vastavaiya’ means, ‘Ram, will you come?’ The movie is a remake of the Telegu film ‘Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana,’ which was my first film as a director. So, it’s close to my heart.”
“While I love dancing, and even acting in ‘ABCD’ – ‘Anybody Can Dance’ – was fun, I remain, at heart, a choreographer.”
“I get a lot of free time between films, but I don’t know why I hardly dance.”
“I never planned to become a choreographer. I never planned to become an actor. I never planned to be a director. It’s all good will. I did nothing.”
“Till I get bored, I can eat. Suddenly one day, I will decide, ‘Okay, today I will eat.’ Then, I dance.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t looking at ‘Tutak Tutak Tutiya’ as a platform to dance again.”
“I have done Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi movies, and each actor that I’ve worked with is different from the other.”
“Chiranjeevi garu is my favourite dancer.”
“I have been into acting and direction, but choreography is my first love.”
“I don’t consider myself a trendsetter.”
“I’ve heard life starts at 40. I wouldn’t know until I get there… I suspect 40 would just be another number. I have never allowed myself to stop and consider my age. I’ve always been on the move.”
“I am glad to be in demand as a director.”
“I’ve never really enjoyed being in front of the camera.”
“Dance keeps me going, and it gives me the energy to remain active in cinema.”
“I want to develop women-oriented films because, in most of the films, 70 per cent of the focus is on heroes and the rest on the heroine.”
“I would like to do all kind of movies, but it all depends on the producer. The director, the actor, and the producer must like it, and they must be clear about it.”
“When I went to the sets of ‘ABCD,’ I felt younger. Surrounded by so many young dancers, I, too, became a dancer again.”
“I enjoy being a choreographer.”
“My parents hail from a village near Mysore.”
“Looking back, the most challenging thing for me was actually directing. It’s very tough. Being in front of the camera is easy since the director can tell me what to do. But being the director and giving people directions is the toughest thing for me.”
“Action is not really my genre, but it’s what people expect out of me. And it works, too.”
“Making commercial cinema is very tough.”
“When I’m directing a film, I can’t do any more than appear in a song.”
“I didn’t really have to struggle in the industry, but I’ve never shied away from hard work.”
“I am very straightforward. If I have something to communicate about dance steps, I just go up to the actor and tell them my thoughts. Language is never a problem.”
“’ABCD’ is an out-and-out dance film. I also dance in the film. I must say you would see better dancers than me in this film. It was very tough for me to match their steps.”
“I never planned to become a dancer, but I became one. The same thing happened with acting and direction. I remember I was doing the choreography of a film, and the producer came and offered me to direct the film. It was in Telugu, and that is how it started.”
“It is very difficult to come up with new things in action genre. I try what all I can change and give something different; I try my best to do whatever I can in the same space.”
“I would cringe when asked to dance. I still remember having to wake up early from Class VI to learn Bharatanatyam. I hated it.”
“I don’t map out my future to the minute details.”
“’Rowdy Rathore’ is a full-length commercial movie but with a difference. The Hindi version comes with some value additions.”
“I would love to do a mystery movie.”
“When I am in Mumbai, I am called a director. In Chennai, I am called a hero. In the Telugu States, I am called a dance master.”
“Madhuri Dixit is too good. She is too good. That’s why she’s Madhuri Dixit.”
“The advantage of doing away with words is that you can reach out to any part of the world.”
“I only complained in school, as I did not like studying.”
“I can easily eat 15-20 dosas or idlis at a time.”
“If I could put in 100 per cent effort to make a film, then a dance film would require that I put in 200 per cent. Making a regular film is much easier.”
“I watched the Telugu version of ‘Pokkiri’ several times. Of course, I wielded the megaphone for the Tamil version. The script is very close to my heart.”
“Language is never a problem when you have the screenplay ready.”
“I am ready to act in Telugu if I get a good story.”
“I am very grateful to Telugu movies, as they have been the main reason for my entry into Bollywood.”
“While I’m acting, I’m a professional, and then I don’t break into cold sweat for whatsoever reason.”
“We named the film ‘Action Jackson’ because our hero, Ajay Devgn, is known as ‘AJ,’ and we thought it would be a good idea to use the initials and extend it into the title ‘Action Jackson,’ as Ajay is doing both action and dancing in the film.”
“I don’t get stressed out about my films because the box-office collection is not in my control.”
“I can do nothing better than dance.”
“Had I not been a choreographer, I would have become nothing more than a traffic cop or peon in an office.”
“Directing a Hindi movie for the first time was easy because Hindi films have been batwing doors for me since 1992.”
“Taking up the choreography for an awards night is completely different from choreographing a song for a film.”
“As an actor, I felt nervous only during the release of my film. When I became a director, the anxious moments started once the editing work began.”
“Everybody tells me to only do action films, but I would love to do horror, too.”
“It is a challenge to work with a newcomer.”
“Bollywood is treating me well.”
“I’m not avoiding the Tamil film industry because I’m making Hindi films. It’s just that I’m extremely busy with Bollywood commitments.”
“Everybody wants me to do action kind of films. It is OK.”
“We work hard on every film, and then it’s up to the audience whether they like it or not. At the end of the day, it is the audience wish what to accept and what not.”
“Nobody knows the pulse of the audience. By the grace of God, things are working for me.”
“I’ve never lived the glamorous life.”
“I don’t know if I’ve become a better actor or a more sensitive one. But I’ve learnt what not to do.”
“I’m glad that nowadays people are aware of varied dance genres, thanks to reality TV dance shows.”
“I would like to work with everyone in Bollywood.”
“Good to hear that ‘Tutak Tutak Tutiya’ is being compared with ‘Bhool Bhulaiyya.’ It was a super hit film.”
“Horror comedy – very rare in Bollywood.”
“Wanted’ and ‘Rowdy Rathore’, which I directed in Hindi, were remakes of Telugu hits. Telugu films have contributed to my growth in a big way.”
“Ditya Bhande is a nice dancer.”
“I will like to work with the best of the actors in Malayalam someday in future.”
“Nayanthara stopped signing films when she was at the pinnacle of her career for our love, and we wanted to get married with the blessings of our parents.”
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