‘Best news ever… India must keep up’: Remo D’Souza on breakdance getting Olympics approval

Whether it is as a choreographer or a
filmmaker or reality show judge, Remo D’Souza’s love for dance is no secret. The ‘ABCD’
director, who has created some of Bollywood’s  most popular dance-based
movies and has provided platforms to dancers who went on to rule the cine
world, is ecstatic over the news of breakdance being included as a sports
activity for Paris Olympics games in 2024.

“It’s the best news ever, something we all have
been waiting for many years,” Remo told Opoyi in a telephonic conversation. He added
that it was time for India also to take such initiatives.

“India should also start doing the same and I will
make sure to prepare whosoever I know for the event. I will be the first one to
start collecting these amazing dancers because they will certainly make the
country proud. We are already winning the world with dance for example we won
accolades at World of Dance, America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent so
we have already done it. I know for sure that in the dancing map, the flag of
India is flying at the top,” he said.

Remo made his television debut with dance reality show
Dance India Dance (DID) and later went on to judge other dance reality shows.
He made his directorial debut with F.A.L.T.U starring Arshad Warsi and Riteish
Deshmukh.

However, his love for dance was on display in his
next directorial ventures — the coming-of-age 3D dance-based film ‘ABCD –
AnyBody Can Dance’ starring Prabhu Deva, Dharmesh Yelande, Lauren Gottlieb,
Salman Yusuff Khan, and Punit Pathakand, ‘ABCD 2’ and the third installment of
ABCD Franchise titled ‘Street Dancer 3D’.

Talking about how dancing as a profession has
evolved over the years, he said, “I have seen people saying ‘dancing se kuch
nahi hota’ (dancing won’t get you anywhere) to people coming to me and saying
that ‘humein apne bacchho ko dancer banana hai aapke jaise’ (I want my child to
become a dancer like you). So I have seen the change.”

“I know that the whole change has come to India
because of the reality shows and the knowledge of dancing. Now, people know
that dancing can take them places, it can give their careers the push they
need. Now, everyone knows that this has become a very good profession with a
lot of work opportunities. Once you become a dancer, there is a lot of work for
you not only in the film industry but in TV, live shows. In fact, during
COVID-19, most of them are earning from online classes. So it has actually
become a great profession,” he said.

Remo also ensures that he provides the right platform to
young dancers through his films and he says that he will keep on doing that.

“What will they do after the reality show,
especially when they have so much talent? If we have power and if we can help
them then why not? I think that if they have potential then they deserve to be
in films. I think these guys need bigger platforms,” he said.
Remo says that he can identify with the newcomers
because when he started off, it was a tough journey.

 “I know that phase when you start. I have
been there and I have done that and I know that there is a lot of pain if you
don’t get the right platform. I faced problems and I got the right opportunity
after a long time so I also know that if someone talented will not get the
right opportunity, he or she might get tired and give up. So, I make sure that I
give them that platform and also a much-needed push. I will keep on doing that
in the future too,” he said.

On reports that he was working on a biopic on the
late Saroj Khan, Remo said, “I am not actually right now fully done. We
had spoken about it but Saroj ji left us. We had a verbal discussion but
nothing is on papers. The family has all rights and whatever they will decide,
we will do. But yes it will be my honour to do a biopic on her. Sukaina, her
daughter, also knows that we spoke ( I and Saroj ji) about the biopic. I wanted
to do it but let’s see what the family wants.