Mysterious Prof. P

‘Contemporary’, dictionary defines it as modern, synchronous, etc. In the field of Dance the form ‘Contemporary’ resonates rhythm, grandiose and discipline. To me this dance form is a cocktail of a lot of dance styles viz Ballet, Indian Classical Dance forms (Kathak, Bharatanatyam, etc), Jazz and many more. What I like about this dance form is its ability to express emotions in a larger than life pattern and the unique quality of dancing off beat (partially).

Financial Guru (dad) has a knack of eyeing the undervalued stocks. Over the years he has always maintained his ground rule “A fundamentally strong company with a good management team will never FAIL you.” In my opinion this RULE is applicable to all walks of life. So, while covering my piece on contemporary I chose to showcase the journey of “The Mysterious Porf. P”, our very own Punit J Pathak.

I chose the catch phrase ‘Mysterious’ coz not much is known about him apart from his work credits. Ask him about his crazy fan encounter, he blushes and narrates how a fan girl innocently forced him to have a bite from her chocolate (LOL). Known for being the Machine that runs 24 hours (workaholic) in the industry, a humble soul, he naively admits “I am a narcissist when it comes to my Work. I give ‘it’ my everything, that’s how passionate I am about my Work” From Dance India Dance (Season 2) to Dance+ (Season 2) the journey is full of ups and downs, yet a fundamentally strong person with a great vision will indeed Succeed.

Let us unveil the Mystery…

You belong to a business family so how difficult was it to choose dance as a profession?

I am the elder son of the family, my dad naturally wanted me to be a part of the family legacy (Business). In my struggling phase of figuring out what to do in life I was clear about 3 things: I do not want to be a doctor, an engineer and I do not want to be associated with business. So I chose arts in St. Xavier’s college Mumbai. Before being a dancer I wanted to be a cricketer, I was the under 13 team captain for Mumbai team and the St. Xavier’s college team captain.

Hip Hop was my forte and my favourite dance style then. When performing for college events I was selected by Terrence Lewis Company for a scholarship program. I went on to work with his company for a long time. Not many people know, but I used to stammer while talking. With Dance and being a dance instructor I gained confidence and learnt the language of Dance.

Gradually I left Terrence sir’s company and went on to participate in Dance India Dance (DID) Season 2. Fun fact is that DID was not my most epic moment in life. The journey has been gradual and satisfying.

Tell us about your journey post DID…

Not many know that before DID season 2 I had auditioned for Jhalak Dikh Laja as a choreographer but I was rejected. One of the best things that happened to me on DID was that I got to be a part of Remo Sir’s team (Remo ke Rangeele). Post DID I went on to assist Remo Sir for his movie ‘FALTU’. It was there that I learnt Camera work and improved my film making skills. Alongside I continued pursuing dance with Jhalak Dikh Laja (4 Seasons). Later, I got to be mentor/judge on DID season 5 and finally came along Dance+ season 2.

How did Acting happen?

My association with Remo sir has been long standing. When he decided to make a dance movie I was offered the role of Chandu (ABCD first instalment). The only question I had asked him before taking up the project was whether I die before the interval or later. The character went to be a hit and then came ABCD2 where I play Vinod (yet another character with shades of dark). I have a knack of understanding dark and deep elements. Probably why my characters portray the same.

Technical Genius showing his MAGIC

One peculiar quality is your art of beautiful story telling through your performances, what has been your inspiration?

‘I like to be Different’, in a dance reality shows the selected dancers are already evolved as dancers. As a mentor, I then take it up as a challenge as to how can I combine their dancing prowess and my story telling in a 2-3 min performance. It’s my way of connecting with the audience and conveying my message.

What is the next thing on your bucket list (workwise) that you want to conquer?

Direction.

Final Message

3 things in life make a man ‘Talent, Hard work & Luck’. Luck is not in our hands. So along with talent make sure you work (MAD) hard to achieve your dreams.

Mysterious Prof. P (wink)

We will very soon see the Mystery Man in the upcoming movie NAWABZAADE!!!

Fun Fact one of our team members has a crush on him and we just made her day(wink). Courtesy Team Mansissim. Photo credits Ashish Baheti and Jimland Photography.