Two young salsa dancers from Kolkata's Bivash Dance Academy were crowned winners of the fourth season of television reality show India's Got Talent. The dancer duo, Shonali Majumdar, seven, and Maraju Sumanth, 13, had impressed the judges right from their auditions with their whirlwind salsa moves.
The winners took home the grand prize of Rs 50 lakh and a Maruti Alto.
They were handed the trophy by guests on the show, Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.
The duo's trainer and choreographer Bivash says he plans to go on a world tour with Shonali and Maraju.
"I was confident about their talent but the win was unexpected," he says. "Last year, I had participated in this show with two other children from my dance academy but we were just runners up. This year, I took it up as a challenge. The kind of dance moves they have performed are usually done by salsa dancers, who have been training for years. They are so young, they don't even realise what they have achieved."
So what will they do with the prize money? "The money will be spent on making a good home for Shonali, who comes from a very humble background. The rest will be used for their future."
Marajua claims Mukesh and Tanya were their toughest competitors, as 'their aerial acts were mindblowing.'
"Initially, salsa was tough because there were so many lifts and Shonali was so small," Marajua adds. "Both Shonali and I would practice from 8am to 10pm. It is this hard work that bore us fruit today."
What was Shonali's best moment on the show? She replies, "I was happy to dance with Shah Rukh sir. Also, I beat the whole country, and am the winner of the show!"
What does Shonali want to be when she grows up? "I want to be a dancer like Madhuri Dixit."
