“Shivangi is my role model” : Ripu Daman Handa

Masterchef winner and Nach Baliye contestant Ripu Daman Handa talks about his participation in Star Plus’ popular celebrity couple dance reality show Nach Baliye Season 6…

After winning the very popular cooking reality show Master Chef Season 3, the good looking Delhi guy Ripu Daman Handa is setting the dance floor of Nach Baliye Season 6 on fire with his girlfriend Shivangi Verma. The couple has made it to the top 8 and they are giving their best performances every time.

We spoke to Ripu to know more about his participation in Nach Baliye.

How do you feel being a part of Nach Baliye with Shivangi? Has Nach got you both closer?
It’s a great feeling. Shivangi and I are feeling very good nowadays. It’s a golden opportunity for both of us to spend time with each other through the platform of Nach Baliye and we are giving our 100% to perform good on stage. Definitely Nach has got both of us closer. It’s a show of love where you have to do nach with your baliye. It’s a platform of love and it feels really amazing.

Whose decision was it to take part in the show? What was your motive behind it?
It was Shivangi’s decision to take part in the show because I am really a bad dancer. She really encourages me up to go for it and here we are. I didn’t have any motive behind taking a part in the show except one thing that I wanted to spend more time with Shivangi through the show. So, far we are performing well and it is liked by the judges and the audiences. We are trying to give our best and let’s see what happens ahead.

After winning Masterchef, how do you feel trying your hand at dancing? Have both of you ever danced before?
Dancing is really tough for me while cooking is easy. Shivangi really pushed me up saying that even I can do it like others. So, I am doing this because of her. I have never danced before but Shivangi has done it before. She is a good dancer. We both were very nervous before dancing on this big platform.

Tell us something about your and Shivangi’s love story?
It’s like a love story.’ We are neighbors and I proposed her and our relationship started growing. She supported me a lot while I was doing Masterchef. She used to motivate me then while I was tensed and she is doing this even now. Dance is not our field but she always encourages me that I can do it; she is my role model.

After your elimination, you are coming back as a wild card couple. So how well are you prepared now for the competition?
We are really working hard now. We are giving double time now and doing our rehearsals. We are giving 12 hours now for our rehearsals so that we can give our best on stage to impress the judges and the audience.

What kind of compliments you are getting from your family members and your dear ones?
They all are really surprised to see me dancing and they say, Tu dance kar sakta hai?’ My Mom, Dad and my friends have started calling me DBI (Dancing Bavarchi of India) instead of calling me Ripu (Smiles). It’s a good name for me.

What do you feel about the compliments you and Shivangi get from the judges?
I think we are really lucky to get such good compliments from the judges being a non-celebrity, non-dancer and a non-actor. We are really happy with the good comments we are getting from them.

What is the biggest challenge you both are facing?
Dance is really the biggest challenge for both of us because it’s tough for us. In dancing, we have to dance, act and showcase our emotions so we have to look after all the portions.

How different is cooking and dancing according to you?
It’s totally different (laughs). I feel myself expert in cooking but I am a zero when it comes to dancing. So, it’s just the opposite of each other. Shivangi is really good at dancing while I am good at cooking.

Who do you feel is the most promising contestant on the show?
I feel its Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee Choudhary because they are really good dancers and we get to learn a lot from them. They have already been a winner of the reality show. We are the youngest contestants of the show and it feels good that we get to learn so much from experienced people like them.

Any plans to get into acting if offered any show?
No, I have no plans at all. After Nach Baliye, I would like to continue with my cooking because I really love cooking. I am a very horrible actor that I won’t even go to watch my own movie (laughs).