Khatron Ke Khiladi winner Shantanu Maheshwari is currently on a high! Shantanu and his dance crew the Desi Hoppers who went International in 2015 after representing India in the World of Dance Championship and bagging the title, as well as; were special performers at Hollywood’s reality show America's Got Talent. Last weekend the crew represented India at Asian Battleground, Asia's largest and most famous dance competition, and placed India at a 3rd spot. The championship was judged by Hollywood stars Mari Koda and Philip Chbeeb from the Step Up film series, who were very impressed with Shantanu and the boys!
Shantanu also for the very first time, will be seen hosting a series on television on MTV, called Love On The Run based on true life and love stories! He is very excited about his upcoming project!
It’s your first time hosting a TV Series. Are you nervous or excited?
I am very excited about the show! I have acted earlier in such projects and for MTV as well, and now I am extremely happy to have been given a chance by them to host such a lovely series! I am kind of nervous, though I guess it's good to be nervous. But very excited for this new project I am working on!
Tell us a bit about the Love On The Run?
Despite being the most progressive nation at the moment, we have so many restrictions on love! Which is an extremely sad to see, in this day and age! Love On The Run is a tribute to all those lovers who had the courage to fight against society and also their own families for their love!
The show is about love stories. What is your take on love? Would you ever want to be on a run for love?
It’s an amazing feeling to be in love, and be loved by someone! Yes, I have experienced love in my life and I just feel it changes the way you see things. Love has made me realize the true meaning of the saying that love has no barriers be it caste, creed, age, height, weight, religion, etc. It gives you energy and positivity and power. It charges you as a person to go out of the way to make that person happy. Haha, I don't know about wanting to or not wanting to ever be on the run for love, though it all depends on the situation I am in. If factors don’t work for us that would definitely be the last resort!
You’re coming back on screen after a while, how does it feel? What are your expectations from the show?
It feels great to be back on screen with something new and different that I am getting to do! It feels great to be offering the audiences something new this time, which I am totally looking forward to! The stories in this show are really good, so hoping to see a good reaction from the audiences! Though I don’t like to expect anything from whatever work I take up, as that’s the attitude I like to maintain. It’s my conviction that I do the shows that I do always!
The Desi Hoppers and you place India proudly at 3rd at the Asian Battleground finals! How was the experience? How does it feel?
We feel privileged to have performed alongside some of the best Asian dance crews at such a huge platform! The entire experience representing India on such an awesome stage was amazing! We made some great friends as well as got to see some of the best dance performances through the competition world over! The cherry on the cake was the crowd, who even though not being Indian cheered for us so much! The judges, Mari Koda who even said she is now a fan of the Desi Hoppers and Philip Chbeeb who gave us some amazing dancing tips too, highly appreciated our act! Our entire crew is extremely proud and happy to have represented the country once again and place it in the top 3 at such a prestigious spot! As well as celebrate dance and put India on the world map in association with dancing! Looking forward to more opportunities like these where we can once again make India proud!
