Vaibhavi Merchant, the renowned Bollywood choreographer, has worked with the industry’s top stars and has some insights to share about them. In a recent interview with Zoom Entertainment, Vaibhavi briefly discussed Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and their approach to dancing skills.
Starting with SRK, Vaibhavi mentioned that he has convinced himself that he is a bad dancer, and he works extra hard to deliver exceptional performances. Describing Salman as ‘easy’ but not ‘laidback,’ she stated that he is quietly focused on getting the job done. She went on to say, “Whereas Shah Rukh, I feel, is an ambidextrous human being,” and “He is of another level. You can pull him from a scene to a song to action, and without missing a beat, he will seamlessly transition from one to the next.”
She continued, “He’s made of a genius cloth. He’s something else. Again, with Salman, he’s a hustler. He’s doing all that too, but he doesn’t give you the sense that he’s coming from a different world. You’ll feel he’s not there, but he’s completely present.”
Vaibhavi mentioned that Shah Rukh has ‘psyched himself into believing that he isn’t a good dancer,’ which is why he puts in so much effort. “He’s an entity of his own. He comes from a place of great discipline. He practices and convinces himself that he’s not a great dancer, and then he creates his own process. He even jokes about it, saying, ‘I’ve done my part, now it’s your turn to handle it.'”
Vaibhavi began her career as an assistant and later choreographed songs like ‘Dhol Baaje’ from ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ in 1999, for which she won the National Film Award for Best Choreography. She gained further recognition for the song “Kajra Re” and has also appeared as a judge on dance reality shows on television.