Pranav Sasidharan is a professional dancer who won the title of D4 Dance Season 2, a dance reality show. Pranav Sasidharan was born at Azhoor, Panthanamthitta. His father worked in Mumbai, while mother a nurse. After studying in Seventh Day Adventist school in his home town till 3rd std, Pranav moved to his father’s work place. After winning the D2 – D4 Dance reality show, Pranav performed on different stages. Apart from being a dancer, Pranav is a sketch artist.
In talks with Pranav Sasidharan.
1.When did you decide to make dance as your career?
Well to be honest, dance is seriously not my career. I would call it my lifestyle. Although I have been actively involved in the dance industry taking up projects and opportunities, they were purely because I saw them more like a creative escape and education for this art I have grown really attached to. Every work I undertake is more concerned with what is it going to teach me and what new situation am I going to cope up with. I discovered the love for dancing since my school days. I am an untrained and self taught dancer who picked up things from workshops and internet. Dancing is very similar and extremely helpful to what I am actually chasing. Film making and acting. They are all just similar expressions which facilitates good story telling.
2. How do you feel on becoming the winner of D4 dance season 2?
I am honored and happy. The title is prestigious but what I value even more is the evolution of me as a person and artist throughout the 10 month stint of the show. The journey and the people I got a chance to work with was very meaningful for me.
3. What has been your practice schedule since you started?
Unlike the regular rehearsals, being part of a reality show meant coping up with deadlines, last minute changes, matching up with high competitiveness. It required a great deal of multitasking. I was responsible for choreographing, conceptualising, editing and designing my own acts for the entire season and was the only contestant to be doing so. Being a one man show takes a toll on you in the long run physically and mentally. Specially when you are going up against competitors who have everything covered. It helped me discover my possibilities and shortcomings. I had to follow a strict routine of like 4 to 5 hour sleep every day for the entire 10 months. Exceptions to some rare days with no sleep at all and the ones I would cheat on like a kid. I had some really good friends who would push me forward.
4.Whom do you consider your role model and whom do you look up to?
Well we have role models everywhere. No one is perfect but there is always light in people for us to draw. However, I must say I have been deeply moved by the sheer determination and journey of achievers like Heath Ledger, Usain Bolt, Bboy Daniel cloud, Nicholas brothers, Hugh Jackman, Nawazzuddin Siddiqui, AR Rehman and Ang Lee. The list goes on. My source for inspiration and light is vast. In fact it starts right from home.
5. According to you which was your best performance till now?
Being an artist, the best performance can’t be measured by the most amount of appreciation or score I have earned for an act. It has to be the best I felt performing and that had to be my final audition for the show. There were no rules, no restrictions. The ground was mine, the choreography was limitless and that is what all that mattered. When you make a choice to be a dancer in the showbiz, some times you sacrifice on creative freedom. Freedom of expression gets shadowed by priority for impression. Audition was one round where I did everything I wanted to show and not what people wanted to see.
6. How does your family take your success?
My mother has been my strongest pillar since my dad passed away 11 years back. He wanted me to live this. To be able to experience the life of an artist completely different from the monotonous ways of our society. Family, friends, teachers, groomers, they have all backed me immensely. Always grateful.
Also read “Stunningly Awesome! Know The Journey Of This ABCD2 Amazing Dancer – Mohan Pandey”
7. What’s the one key event that changed your life completely?
Well there’s been a lot of turning points. Lot more to come. Besides winning the show I had a fatal accident during my fourth stage. Which put me on the bed with three fractured tooth, severe head injury and 18 stitches on face. I had an option to quit. But I chose to resume in the competition within days and continued with a mask till I was healed. It was purely based on instinct and it’s been a major confidence booster ever since the way I dealt with problems and perceptions changed.
8. Is there any other thing you like to do apart from dancing?
I dig art and performance. A lot. I write, develop scripts, act, sketch with black ink. Watch movies, travel. Superheroes and comicbooks have been an obsession since childhood. So I collect comicbooks. This will Never get out of the system, even when I grow older.
9. What’s your message for the people who are passionate for dancing and would like to make dance as their career?
I will say that you are choosing a field which runs on personal satisfaction and creative growth. That is the only reward that should be expected and is the only fuel that will keep you going. Grind, standout, believe. Listen to your instincts. Love and respect every one. We never stop learning. We are never the best. Just be at your best.
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