Remo D’Souza is one of the film industry’s most celebrated dancers today. He’s also ventured, rather successfully, into film direction. At the launch of the fourth season of the dance reality show on which he is a judge, the choreographer talks about his journey so far.

A rocky start
Not many people know this, but Remo’s father and other relatives are completely against him getting into show-business — they wanted him to become a pilot. It was only his mother, Madhvi Laxmi, who encouraged him to pursue his passion and enroll in a dance school to develop his skills. Repeated rejections sent the dancer into depression at the age of 19, but he refused to give up.





The taste of success
Talking about his first break in the film industry, Remo says, “I went to audition for choreographer Ahmad Khan, and before I danced, I asked him to only judge me for my talent and not for my looks. I was very thankful that he auditioned and then selected me. That was my first break. In those days, dark dancers wouldn’t be allowed to stand behind the lead actors, but I was chosen to dance in the second row behind Salman Khan.”

His advice for budding artistes — “If you have the talent, believe in yourself and work towards moving ahead in whatever field you’re passionate about.”



A change in direction
From a background dancer, Remo became a choreographer — eventually, one of the most popular in the industry. He then decided to take on a new challenge, and directed his first film, F.A.L.T.U, in the year 2011. Since then, he’s directed films like ABCD, The Flying Jatt, and most recently, Race 3.

Addressing comments about Race 3 not meeting box office expectations, he says, “I got the script from Shiraz bhai and Salman Khan just a month before we started shooting. I think not having the right connection with the script could have affected my direction of the film. But I think it still got a good enough response. ”
Remo’s next directorial venture is a dance film starring Varun Dhawan and Katrina Kaif.



Talking about the project, he says, “I am working on the script. Once I am satisfied with it, I will go ahead with the shooting. I have chosen Varun and Katrina because they’re both great dancers.”

Dramebaaz from the start
Remo’s mother Madhvi Laxmi, whom he calls the reason for his success, shares some anecdotes from the choreographer’s childhood. “Remo has been a very loving son. But when he was a kid, he never wanted to attend school. I would try to explain to him the importance of education, and he would ask for a bribe of `1 to go to school. Other than that, he never troubled me. He was a big dramebaaz, but only in front of me,” she says.