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'We have gone from baraati dancers to having learnt so many forms of dance.'
Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya walked away with the trophy at the eighth season of Nach Baliye. They have also won a cash prize of Rs 35 lakh, a Hero Maestro scooter and Ora jewellery.
Abigail Pande-Sanam Johar stood at second spot and Sanaya Irani-Mohit Sehgal finished third.
Divyanka claims she was 'pleasantly surprised' and 'thrilled' with the win.
"Winning is not in our hands but hard work is. We gave it our best; we wanted to win," she says. "We want to thank our fans and families, as the journey is not only ours -- they have been with us in the last three months, staying up nights, appealing for votes for us and they have made it happen! The trophy may shine in our home but it really belongs to our fans. Without their love, support and votes, our Nach Baliye journey would have never had such a beautiful culmination.”
Vivek adds to that: "This is my first award and I feel it's even more special, as I am sharing it with my wife. It’s been a beautiful journey and the trophy is the best anniversary gift we could have gotten. This show is about companionship and we have had such a wonderful journey together; we got the opportunity to spend more time with each other, understand each other and kept challenging ourselves with new forms of dance every week."
He added that the finalists were great too, and had lovely stories and journeys of their own on the Nach Baliye stage.
"We have gone from baraati dancers to having learnt so many forms of dance, challenging ourselves week after week to keep trying something new and learning something different!" Divyanka exclaims.
The couple is already missing dance, as it's become such a big part of their lives.
Besides the dance, the season is known for its competitiveness and fan wars.
Many have felt that Abigail-Sanam and Mohit-Sanaya were better dancers.
"The winners are decided by the audience. The audience has supported us in winning the trophy,” counters Divyanka.
Initially, the couple did not get good comments for their dancing skills, but it gradually changed.
"We had a journey from being non-dancers to learning the intricacies of dance," Divyanka explains.
But whose the better dancer among the two of them?
“Vivek, definitely," Divyanka says quickly. "He has surprised us with his growth as a dancer on the show. I have received so many compliments and messages from family, friends and fans praising Vivek."
Their favourite performance was Malhari.
Divyanka claims managing two shows (including her daily soap Yeh Hai Mohabbatein) was not easy.
“I would get three to five hours to rehearse. But I was lucky as Balaji (Telefilms, which produces Yeh Hai Mohabbatein) was supportive. That's why I was able to manage both. I would shoot Yeh Hai Mohabbatein during the day and rehearse for Nach Baliye in the evenings. I would be exhausted, as I must have gotten an average sleep of four-five hours in the last three months," Divyanka says.
She claims she has lost 10 kilos in the process.
How will the couple celebrate their victory?
"We plan to spend time with our families and celebrate," Vivek replies. "Luckily, the day after the finale was a holiday for Divyanka -- as it was Eid -- so we could spend time with our families before she resumed the shoot for Yeh Hai Mohabbatein.”
The couple will celebrate their first wedding anniversary on July 8 (click here to see their wedding album)
"I am planning a trip to Europe but the exact destination is a surprise for Divyanka," Vivek lets out. "We will go away for a week and it will be a break for both of us."
