"These guys are not great dancers."
As Bollywood lovers, we often swoon and sway over the magic that our favourite stars cast upon us.
They have an undeniable charisma, an inherent onscreen charm, and an intangible talent.
When they are brilliant dancers, it makes them all the more appealing.
However, dancing is not everyone’s strongest suit.
Several talented performers can entertain and enthral without lighting up the dance floor.
Delving into actors who perhaps do not possess the twirling motions, DESIblitz presents some of Bollywood’s worst dancers.
Dev Anand
Bollywood’s evergreen actor, Dev Anand boasts of a staggering body of work spanning over six decades.
However, fans of the Baazi star may be aware that dancing is not an ability that he is known for.
This is somewhat ironic considering that Dev Sahab is famous for featuring in some of the most melodious songs of Indian cinema’s Golden Era.
Despite this, he is neither seen doing complex dance routines nor simple steps.
In an interview with WildFilmsIndia, Dev Sahab admits his poor dancing ability:
“I’m not a good dancer, but I manage in my songs.
“I work with my mind and it’s liked by people.
“I hate to be observed because I’m not a good dancer.”
In 2010, Shammi Kapoor revealed that Dev Anand was the original choice for the lead in Teesri Manzil (1966).
Underneath the video clip, a fan comments: “I could never imagine Dev Anand in this role.
“Could anyone picture Dev Anand dancing to ‘Aaja Aaja’?”
Although he might have been a poor dancer, Dev Sahab hopped, clapped, and strutted his way through his songs and audiences continue to love him for it.
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is a symbol of star power and raw brute on celluloid.
The actor has performed in a variety of songs, earning applause from fans.
Nevertheless, Sanjay doesn’t believe that he can dance well.
He divulges into ‘Tamma Tamma‘ – the song he performs with Madhuri Dixit in Thaanedaar (1990).
Sanjay explains: “I remember the time when I was asked to match steps with Madhuri Dixit while shooting for the song ‘Tamma Tamma’.
“As soon as I found out I was so nervous because I dance like a crow and I had to perform alongside Madhuri who is known for her dancing.
“To perfect the steps, I rehearsed for 16 days straight. I was still apprehensive to perform but finally, I did it.”
The late choreographer Saroj Khan, who worked on ‘Tamma Tamma’ has also confessed her amazement at Sanjay’s flawless performance in the song.
Be that as it may, the Saajan actor has notably stayed away from dancing in his films.
Sunny Deol
One star who has made no secret of being one of Bollywood’s worst dancers is Sunny Deol.
Sunny is a force of machismo and talent on the big screen.
For all his praiseworthy four decades in the industry, however, the actor has made clear his hatred for dancing.
In an appearance on Koffee With Karan in 2005, host Karan Johar asked Sunny to rate himself out of 10 as a dancer, with 10 being the highest score.
Sunny bluntly replies: “Zero.”
Elsewhere, during a 2023 appearance on The Kapil Shama Show, Sunny laughs when the titular host jokes:
“It is said about you that for the film in which you have a dance sequence, you don’t give a date.
“You give date upon date, date upon date, and date upon date.”
In 2018, Ajay Devgn also appeared on Koffee With Karan.
Karan asks him who according to him was a bad dancer.
Ajay answers: “My neighbour, Sunny Deol!”
These thoughts show that dancing might not be one of the things that the iconic Tara Singh screams about.
The Three Khans
Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan are regarded as a hugely popular trinity of Indian actors.
However, it appears that one of the things the superstars have in common is their mediocre dancing skills.
In May 2024, Bollywood choreographer Ahmed Khan acknowledged that the three actors are not great dancers.
He says: “I gave [Salman] a step where he had to move his collar.
“You can’t do it with another actor because even if he does it well, the audience will question why is he doing it?
“Because of Salman’s persona, it has an impact on the audience.
“Shah Rukh is very charming. You can make him jump.
“I made him dress up as a clown in one song. This is Shah Rukh’s charm – rags to riches.”
Ahmed also praised Aamir’s dynamism in films like Rangeela (1995) and Ghajini (2008).
He continues to state:
“These guys are not great dancers but they know what to do, how to perform in a particular music, with particular lyrics, and what their audience will like.
“So they come with their inputs in terms of persona. They will never say what they want to do.
“Whatever you make them do, they will do it in their own style and it will work.”
Fans were left spellbound when a video emerged of the three actors dancing together at the festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant.
What the trinity lacks in dancing, they make up for in acting.
Ajay Devgn
Ajay Devgn is intense and enriching on the big screen.
It is hard to believe that the superstar does not consider himself a dancer.
During a promotion of Runway 34 (2022), Ajay takes a hilarious swipe at his lacklustre skills.
He quips: “Because I’m so bad at dancing, rehearsing also doesn’t help.”
In 2023, Ajay’s film RRR (2022) won the Academy Award for ‘Best Original Song’.
The accolade was for the chartbuster ‘Naatu Naatu’.
When congratulated for the gong, Ajay remarks: “RRR got its Oscar because of me.
“If I had danced to that song, can you imagine what would have happened?”
It is refreshing to see Ajay carry what others could see as a weakness as a source of comedy.
Fans are more than willing to overlook this discrepancy in Ajay’s vast array of talent.
In Indian cinema, dance is sometimes just as important as the song itself.
It conveys energy and strengthens the star quality of actors.
Sometimes though, stars need to find other ways of entertaining their fans when it comes to dance routines.
It is hugely admirable that these actors admit and even make light of being Bollywood’s worst dancers.
This does not impact their popularity and for that, they deserve respect.
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