How Ganesh Acharya makes uncles dance
The secret to his addictive choreography
1995, Bollywood actor Govinda stars in comedy-director-extraordinaire David Dhawan’s Coolie No.1. The director who had a habit, if not a creative itch, to name many of his movies with the title “____ No.1” had his eyes on a very specific prize for this film; a certain newbie film choreographer. Husn Hai Suhana, one of the would-be megahit songs from the film, was in need of a choreographer. The big daddies of choreography, Saroj Khan and Chinni Prakash, would have assured the film a hit. However, Dhawan and his partner-in-crime Govinda made sure that the four days reserved for the shoot of the song were the same four days the two biggies were busy. “Who will do the song then?” their producer asked. “Ganesh is free. He will do it,” they said.
Ganesh Acharya is a two-time National Award winning choreographer who also, at one point, was the youngest choreographer Bollywood had seen. But his awards and accolades can’t hold a light to his superpower. He can make anyone dance.
Imagine a drunk-uncle on the dance floor at his daughter’s wedding. Among the 4 dance steps that he will repeat ad nauseum, one will be a Ganesh Acharya move. Why? Because they are just that simple. The hook step of one of his most viral hits Ram ji ka chaal from Goliyon ka Rasleela-Ramleela (2018), is actor Ranvir Singh scratching his head to the rhythm. In the second line of the chorus that constant scratching develops into a rubbing of the palms. And in the third line it becomes a full fledged dance step. Acharya is clear; “main jaan bujhke choreography aam log jaise karta hoon, I purposely choreograph thinking of the common man, so that everyone can dance. This is my work.”
Acharya’s own life story is the common man’s dream. He grew up in a slum in Mumbai. His father was a dancer himself, earning his bread from doing traditional fire dancing. His elder sister was a student of ace-choreographer Saroj Khan. When he was just 10 or 11 years old, his father passed away. Acharya pulled out of school and decided to start earning through dance. From the age of 12 to 17 he worked in the industry with single-minded focus; I will be an independent choreographer. And at the age of 17, he became one.
This was 1989. After a few years of struggling to find work, he was noticed by the one and only Govinda. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Husn Hai Suhana from Coolie.No 1 (1995) featured the historic pairing of Govinda and Karishma Kapoor. The song, slightly disco-like, with electronic rhythms, put Acharya under the spotlight. In true 90s Hindi movie fashion, the song feels like a staged performance. Clear entries and exits of background dancers, a very very very fake sky in the background and several set changes in between. The first verse before the chorus is filled with complex movements, complimenting the constant rhythm of the song. Govinda dances full out, his moves are screaming. But as soon as the chorus arrives, contrary to the verse before it, Govinda’s movements are understated. Acharya fashions a simple bouncy step with the hand simply coming towards and moving away from the body. The dance seems approachable and replicable. And it is with this chorus that the legacy of Ganesh Acharya and Govinda begins.
“He is like a godfather to me,” Acharya said in an interview once. He gave him his first break however, it is safe to say that Acharya also contributed generously to his career. Hits like Kabhi Disco Mein Jaye (1998), What is your mobile number? (1999) made Govinda’s career as we know it now. From the 90s up until the 2000s, Ganesh Acharya’s filmography is quite honestly exhausting. The list is endless.
The 2000s saw a change in the grammar of Hindi films. Long, performative dance sequences reduced in number. Instead, people were looking for that one hook step that could permeate generations. In Rang De Basanti (2006), everyone’s favourite movie to cry to, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra called Ganesh Acharya, who now had adopted the name Masterji. Masti Ki Paathshaala was picturised as a college party in an old fort. This iconic piece of work appears on screen for less than 30 seconds; a step where actor Aamir Khan claps his hands then taps his butt. In the same year, he did something similar in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Omkara (2006). Beedi, a song that is set in a small town on a night of celebration has one noticeable step; a hip thrust. That one hip thrust got Acharya his first Filmfare award 11 years after his debut.
He has a habit, Masterji, of creating unforgettable moments. But he also has a habit of reinventing himself. Masterji choreographed two songs Khalibali and Malhari. The two songs had the same director, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali; Malhari from Bajirao Mastani and Khalibali from Padmaavat. The two songs have very similar contexts: a king is celebrating his victory. The two songs featured the same actor, Ranvir Singh. And the choreography, especially the hook step, is surprisingly similar; a hopping step while moving forward. The only difference is the arms. While the triumphant, proud Bajirao from Bajirao Mastani shows his masculinity by crossing his arms at the wrists, the mad, ruthless Khilji in Padmaavat flails his hands forward begging for sanity. The moods of the two men are similar, but how can their character change their movements? Malhari, apart from the chorus, uses a lot of chest thumping, stomping and angular movements. Whereas we see in Khalibali a lot of uncontrolled spinning, shaking of the head, as if Khilji is in fact possessed. This is where Ganesh Acharya’s focus on the context of the song really shines. Had he not understood the character, the plot, the moment the song occurs, this would not have been effective at all. “If a choreographer goes into the depth of the film, they will find their choreography there,” he says. Also, had it not been Ranvir Singh playing the part, I am not so sure we would go absolutely berserk dancing these numbers at parties.
Acharya’s philosophy towards choreography is that everything serves as inspiration. “Choreography is simply movement,” he says. And that can include you scratching your head, dusting your collar or hip thrusting till your heart’s content.