Sachin-Supriya are Nach Baliye champs!

16 (10 episodes and six weeks training) weeks, kitty full of dreams and one destination -- that's Nach Baliye! This was not just a show, it was an opportunity for twenty artistes to realise their dreams -- dreams of doing something that they had never tried before. But dreams seldom come true! And who knows it better than Manish and Poonam who toiled day and night to reach the finals of this show that could have made them richer by Rupees five million! All shows come to an end, and there is always one winner, and this time it was Sachin and Supriya who took home the coveted prize. Manish and Poonam faltered at the final stretch. In the original version too the oldest couple had come out winners, sources reveal. Mere coincidence? But one can hardly doubt their victory. The duo had a dream run on the show -- seldom missing a beat, seldom erring! Age obviously in this case benefited as Supriya and Sachin - who are parents of a 16 year old daughter Shreya - danced with consummate ease, grace and synchroncity. The grand finale of the show had performances that managed to glue the viwers to the box. But there were moments of boredom when the gigs of the finalists were repeated. It was quite unnecessary given that the show was gaining momentum and reaching a crescendo. The finalists were spot on, with 12 minute performances each, they showed the grit and stamina of real fighters -- this, in itself was a victory of sorts! The highlight of the evening was that all the eight eliminated couples made their way back to the stage and put their best foot forward. This was one night, when all the mud slinging was a thing of the past. They performed like winners and each one of them justified their presence on the show. In a surprise move, Sai and Varun were awarded the best female and male performers of the evening respectively (although we hoped Rajeshwari would walk away with the honours) But perhaps the moments that made Nach Baliye special were a results of the follies, follies that make man human -- Varun's momentary lapse, Apoorva's misplaced enthusiasm with the gun, Rajiv's inability to stop yapping and Manish's repeated attempts at mastering the art of dancing. These were the moments that made these celebs one of us and made the show stand out amongst the many reality shows that have been on air. But again the show would have been incomplete without the choreographers -- they were just great! To make people who have never danced before perform on stage in front of millions is an art that needs a backbone of self confidence and determination. One choreographer who stood out in the medley of talent was Rajeev Surti (Varun-Rajeshwari), who needs to be appalauded not only for his moves on stage, but also for his ingenuity. All in all, a great concept...a great beginning and an even greater end! The programming team at Star needs a pat on its back for picking a show that had all the ingredients of a TRP-topper. And making it into one. Kudos to Deepak Segal, Ravi Menon, Shailja Kejriwal, Sanvari Alagh, and of course last but not the least Sameer Nair. And who can forget the production team of Fazilla and Kamna who go to make up SOL.