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Dancing her way to
stardom
TUCKED away in a non-descript area in Mumbai’s Mahim, lives a simple family which has a pet dog called Mogli. The dog, says its owner, Ishaa Koppikar, is one of her dearest possessions. However, Ishaa has little time to look after or play with Mogli. With the instant success of her ‘item’ dance "Khallas" in Ram Gopal Verma’s much-appreciated film Company, Ishaa is greatly in demand in the entertainment industry. Last month she travelled to the USA to participate in the Bollywood Awards Show to perform the Khallas dance item. Ace designer Azeem Khan created a special ensemble for Ishaa for this performance. Now back home, she will be busy rushing between studios and locations to complete her more recent assignments. Ishaa has on her plate Harry Baweja’s Quayamat; Sanjay Gupta’s Kaante, Hriday Shetty’s Plan with Dino Morea; Ram Gopal Verma’s Booth and Chandra Prakash Dwivedi’s Pinjar. Ishaa’s present success
is sudden and breathtaking. However, she has been determined right from
her teenage years to join the entertainment industry. "As a young
college girl, I used to see the portfolio pictures with a sense of
wonder", she says, "I decided to get do my portfolio one from
the best photographer — from Gautam Rajadhyaksha. He guided me to send
suitable pictures to well-known agents and model co-ordinators. As a
result, I modelled for a large number of cosmetic and consumer product
ads. These included the Le SancyAs these ads and TV commercials were
shown on television, K.S. Ravi, a producer from the South noticed me and
offered me work. |
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"I then began to get small roles in Hindi films. I played Karishma Kapoor’s friend in Fiza. I had a small five-scene role in Pyar Ishq Mohabbat. Then I did one of the lead roles in Amdani Athanni Kharcha Rupaiya with Vinay Anand. All this while, my secretary Avadhesh Singh — or Avi as everyone calls him — had been making constant efforts to get me work under major banners. His efforts and my picture on the cover of JLT (Just Like That) brought me to the notice of Ram Gopal Verma who called me to his office to discuss a dance item for his film Company. At first, I was hesitant to accept the part because typecasting is a dangerous trend in Hindi films. I did not want to be branded an ‘item" star. But Ramuji has a different view of the presentation of stars and he convinced me that the Khallas song in Company would do wonders for me. The dance item catapulted Ishaa Koppikar into fame instantly. She was in all magazines, on TV and in newspapers. She has also been in demand for stage shows in western countries where Bollywood and Hindi films are a passion. Company has turned out to be a turning point in Ishaa’s career and opened new floodgates of opportunities for her. Ishaa is a graduate in life sciences from Mumbai University and loves working out, dancing and music. She loves clothes designed by Ashley, Azeem Khan and Neeta Lulla. She admires Aamir Khan and Kajol. She is very close to her family — her parents, brother and her dog Mogli. For the time being, Ishaa
has put all leisure and familial activities on hold. She is busy doing
shows of the Company (Khallas) dance everywhere and looks forward
to the release of Kaante, whose promos are already being shown on
television. Here too, she has a dance sequence with Sanjay Dutt. Hard
work and determination will one day make Ishaa a star in her own right.
She has the will, the looks, and the drive to reach the top. |
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