The choreographer of small and medium budget films and now web series is Eshwar. His story is that of grit and determination and an urge to make something of himself in life. Though he was born in Siddipet in Warangal in 1993, he was brought up in hyderabad. The 28 year old choreographer debuted as a dancer in Kevvu Keka (Gabbar Singh), to be precise as an item dancer or background dancer. Before that he kept himself busy, participating in corporate events, award functions etc. He was also a dancer in Satya Master and other Master’s troupes. In a chat with Y.Sunita Chowdhary of Klapboardpost.com, he recollects, “I would play dandiyas and other small events for a pittance. My fascination for arts and cultural events began when I was in the seventh standard. I don’t have a Master, but I got trained in this process and upgraded my skills on my own. I was once dancing for my uncle’s baraat and he noticed my talent. He encouraged me to participate in “Andhrawala: Prove your talent”. I then attended auditions and sought an admission in a dance academy and began taking baby steps with this lead and began networking. In Zee Telugu, got another break by dancing like a female artiste. I was selected and got an entry in a TV show. It was followed by Teen Maar and I was a contestant. I observed that there was no growth and I got back to doing award functions and events. Meanwhile I was told that if we paid a certain amount of money to the Union, we could become a Union Member and secure a card. I went through auditions and amongst 300 members, 30 was selected and I was in the top five. Obviously, I was filtered, selected but was asked to pay a donation to get the membership card. The union was very clear in what they said. I was told that getting a job is based solely on my hard work, patience, or luck. They wouldn’t do anything about it. All they gave me was a license to work and they charged a tiny fee for union maintenance thereafter only when a song is picturised. I worked as a dancer for all masters and then resolved to be an assistant.”
Eshwar talks a bit more on how his journey progressed and how he landed key positions in popular film numbers. He adds, “Those days there was a need for dancers. An acquaintance made me do the song. Ganesh Master choreographed the Gabbar Singh song and I was amongst them. I didn’t pay the DD to the Union but I was pushed to do the song. I also worked in Julayi. Since I am tall and fair, many people felt that I looked good behind the hero. For seven years I was a background dancer and took up the assistant’s job and then became a choreographer. Since we belong to the current generation, all the dancers of my age come up with trendy and novel dance movements. As a dancer, I might have done 450 plus songs.” Another interesting part of Eshwar is that he always writes down which film he did and how many days he worked and then the banner name. He and his colleagues work for ten days and then stay idle; also they are not aware if the payment has been made from a certain production house for a certain dance number. He would diligently do this to track down the identity of the payer or the producer. There are reasons why dancers and choreographers don’t get paid..especially from banners who are doing films with new heroes. He adds, “I must have lost a lot of money in this process. They say they have shelved the film, hero’s dates not available or someone passed away. These are the excuses given for non payment. We have a Union manager, president but sometimes all this is inevitable. Ninety five percent of the time payments are made on time.”
No one teaches anyone anything, we have to observe, show interest and learn on our own, says Eshwar. He was assistant for 50 plus films and later began learning montages. He quips, “I gauge the response of the song in the theatre and analyse the mood. Working hard is one story, bagging an assignment is another. It is purely on luck we survive. After working for 5 years as an assistant, I became a master and my first film was Asala Yem Jarigindhi for which I choreographed all the songs except item songs. It was followed by Gundemma Katha and a Marathi film. I did one song in Varudu Kavalenu and did all the songs in Stand Up Rahul. For Sitara Entertainments, I am working on Swati Mutyam starring Bellomkonda Ganesh. There is a film with Sagar, Section 100, Prema Desam, Mass Maharaj etc. While I have a single card for all 12 films, I am on a project with Tamada Media. There is a Kannada film on the anvil.” Ask Eshwar how he bags assignments, he says if their composition of dances is good, people suggest their names to someone else. Sometimes he asks for work and exchanges numbers. There are people who are not connected with them but they call him for work. We also call us for work. The reason why Eshwar has so many single cards is because he takes the producer’s budget into consideration and reduces his remuneration. He considers all these films as investments and knows that if a film becomes a hit, he can demand more.
Eshwar observes that most dances become a hit because of the stars doing it. It raises a buzz and market for the film. But that is not a written rule, one cannot predict, for instance a small film like DJ Tillu worked just as Naatu Naatu in RRR. He says, “We never work big time. During Covid, I decided to do any song that comes my way as anything might work at the box office. It all depends on the reach, people like folk music, terminology that is trending and costumes which complement the choreography. It also becomes a hit based on the mood. I did all the montages for Stand Up Rahul. People are preferring montages. Those days VV Vinayak and Puri Jagan had a format, but now for OTT etc, you need to be creative. There are many OTT platforms and many options for montages. Stars need songs and a song can replace ten dialogues in a song.” Eshwar, after 13 years of struggle, became a Master. What advice do you give youngsters? “Simply speaking as I said, do whatever comes your way. You can build a beautiful story with a nice montage. You should be able to exploit all the navarasas and give the director confidence that this guy can deliver all genres. Without dialogues and lyrics, giving expressions through choreography is a skill, art. One should be prepared to come up with items, intro, romantic, break up and sad songs. If ten masters are trending, at least one should be different and offer variety and he should get noticed and good reviews. Currently there are 30 plus new choreographers.” So do all get jobs? “In OTT, we don’t have jobs..so there is no work right now.”
