'Didn't expect to end up in the bottom two on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'

“There are quite a few good dancers. Mouni Roy might be a dark horse. There is a lot to come out from her. We have amazing dancers in Shakti Mohan, Akshat Singh and Ashish Sharma. Ashish has a huge fan following too because of his daily soap.”

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa contestant Purab Kohli lists his favourites on his way out.

Actor Purab Kohli is the second contestant to be eliminated from the seventh edition of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. 

The former VJ turned actor says, "I was having a good time and was getting great reactions from the judges. Coming to the danger zone was disappointing for me. 

“Honestly speaking, I was shocked because I had hoped to go ahead in the competition. 

“I don't regret it, though. I had an amazing experience participating for the first time in a reality show. I like dancing, so I had fun being a part of this show.” 

Purab surprised judges and the audience when he presented his favourite dance form -- the tango. It was hugely appreciated. 

Madhuri Dixit called Purab a “lambi race ka ghoda” (a horse with staying power) after being swept away by his stunning performance.

.

So what went wrong? 

“I didn’t expect to end up in the bottom two. When I did, it was a tense situation,” he admits. 

“I did a semi classical-Bollywood dance with my choreographer (Mohena). I was so disappointed that I even missed a step. We worked so hard for it and were expecting good scores from the judges. In the face-off round, Puja Banerjee overtook me,” he says. 

Purab added that the show is not only about dance; it’s also about who is most popular with the audience. “Maybe we lost out there,” he smiles.

Purab and Mohena gave some impressive performances, once even dancing on a wall supported by just a harness.   

“I am happy that I was a part of the wall act which has never been done on a TV show. 

“I would definitely want to be part of this show again, if given an opportunity. But I doubt that will happen because eliminated contestants don’t get the chance to come on the show as a wild card.”

Purab says he will miss the team and new friends he made on the show. 

“I have been preparing for the show for months. We used to practise such high energy acts and my body got used to that routine. I will miss that too.  

“I will miss my choreographer Mohena, who put in her best for all our acts, and the production crew with whom we practised for five to seven hours daily,” he says. 

Who does he think has the chance of winning the title? 

“I think there are quite a few good dancers. Mouni Roy might be a dark horse. There is a lot to come out from her. We have amazing dancers in Shakti Mohan, Akshat Singh and Ashish Sharma. Ashish has a huge fan following too because of his daily soap.”

Purab has worked with two of the judges, Karan Johar and Remo D’Souza in movies. But, it was his first meeting with Madhuri Dixit and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. 

“I think they are all good professionals. The way Maksim gave his views after the performance was brilliant.” 

Purab would love to do another reality show like Khatron Ke Khiladi, he says. 

But more immediately he is preparing for his first play Trivial Disaster. He is also enthusiastic about his next film, Tere Aane Se.