Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa's thumping launch

At a glittering power packed media gathering Sony Entertainment Television gave us a Jhalak of the thumping 12 stars of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa II (Dancing with the stars). The reality dance show which rolls out on Sept 28 promises an interesting line-up of celebs from different fields. Jhalak has also roped in three eminent judges in jumping Jack Jeetendra, sexy Urmila and eminent choreographer Shaimak Davar. Talking about his first stint as a judge on a dance show, Jeetendra (who was not dressed in white) said,"My daughter Ekta wanted me to be a part of this show, so here I am. I believe dance is about shedding inhibitions and not just about training. Also, what I like about this format is that it's going to be more about how a particular celebrity evolves as a dancer rather than choosing the best dancer." The line up of stars includes Indian Idol host Mini Mathur, Ronit Roy, Prachi Desai, Cyrus Brocha, Sudha Chandran, Sandhya Mridul, Ranjan Negi, Mika Singh, Sonali Kulkarni, Tapur Chatterjee, Jay Bhanushali and Aadesh Srivastav. One of the youngest contestants on Jhalak Jay Bhanushali couldn't believe his luck when he was invited to be a part of Jhalak."I really don't know how they thought of my name considering there are veterans like Sudha Chandran, Ronit Roy and other well known people from the industry. Since, I don't consider myself a good dancer, I am devoting about five to six hours a day for the practice." A surprise pack of the lot is hockey coach Mir Ranjan Negi, who's currently basking in the glory of Chak De. "Initially, I had refused Jhalak but later when one of the Chak De girls casually commented `coach you cannot dance'. She challenged the sportsman in me and I decided to do the show. Don't expect any thumkas or jhatkas out of me. But just some easy cool steps. Currently, I've just started learning Jive and Salsa." Another veteran to watch out for is glam vamp Sudha Chandran. An eminent dancer the lady is busy unlearning all that she's learned as a classical dancer. "Jhalak is about doing Salsa, Ball room dancing to Indian Bollywood numbers. Since, I come from a classical dancing background, this is difficult for me as I have to unlearn certain habits." Television's handsome hunk (who looked a bit unwell) Rohit Roy and last season's winner Mona Singh will host Jhalak. Produced by Synergy Adlabs, the format is a global phenomenon and has been a success in more than 30 countries. The voting pattern follows a 50:50 ratio for the judges and the audiences. Ronit Roy aka Bajaj preferred to keep mum right through the launch and quietly left. Cyrus Brocha was conspicuous by his absence and everyone thanked their `stars' as he couldn't make it for the launch. As Rangeeli Urmila aptly said, " thank God we can all talk since Cyrus is not here. Now we have to wait and watch how he `talks' through his dancing feet on Jhalak.