ou can be anything
you want,” says Suresh
Mukund, 32, the dancer,
choreographer, and
mentor behind Kings
United, a group of self-
trained dancers from
Mumbai, that made
history as the first Indians
to win NBC’S World of
Dance in Los Angeles. The group started
with a victory on Boogie Woogie (2009)
and went on to dance their way into the
limelight by winning Entertainment Ke
Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, India’s Got Talent
Season 3 (both 2010), and the World Hip
Hop Championship in San Diego (2015).
The task was hardly easy, and since
then, the Kings haven’t stopped ruling!How did you think of forming
a dance troupe?
When I was 13, I saw Hrithik Roshan
in Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai and began
imitating his moves. I performed it
at school, and that was the turning
point. In college, I formed a group to
participate in inter-college competitions.
That’s when I first thought that I should
pursue it as a career. After graduating,
I formed a group with local dancers who
were crazy about dance.Tell us about the initial phase of
your journey on reality TV shows.
Things are very different today
compared to when we started eight
years ago. We waited in queue in the
scorching heat for hours at a stretch.Today, it’s as easy as filling out an online
application. We would practice for 12 to
14 hours a day, and go out distributing
pamphlets to promote ourselves in the
mornings, rehearse all day and hardly
sleep at night.Anybody Can Dance 2 is inspired
by your story. How did it happen?
After we won India’s Got Talent, Remo
D’Souza called us for a project, and we
informed him about the World Hip Hop
Championship we were participating
in, but at the time no one knew about it.
We connected from there, and when he
heard our story, he made the film.Did you face opposition at home?
Yes, of course. My parents didn’t support
me at all since they did not see any
opportunities for dancers. I had a tough
time convincing them to at least let
me try. A few dancers in the group had
already quit their studies so their parents
were against me, saying I was a bad
influence on their children.Looking back, would you have
done anything differently?
Every wrong turn teaches us a valuable
lesson, and I am happy with the way
things have turned out. It took us a long
time to get here. Now, I can confidently
say that everything happens for a reason.You have conquered a world
championship. What’s next?
We have been approached by several
international artistes to perform with
them at concerts. We also have a world
tour and dance workshops in the
pipeline. We’re making an appearance in
a Filipino movie, and a second upcoming
biopic on our journey.What are the qualities a good
dancer must possess?
It’s not just a dancer, but any artiste
should believe in himself. Take our
example, because a decade ago, no one
would have thought that a few local
dancers could become world champions
someday. But we did it. Never give up on
your dreams!World of Dance Champion, Suresh Mukund of Kings United,
shares his journey from the streets of Vasai in Mumbai to the dance stage in
Los Angeles with Prachiti Parakh and Shravani ChavanDANCING WITH THE STARS
WE WOULD
PRACTICE FOR 12
TO 14 HOURS A DAY, AND
GO OUT DISTRIBUTING
PAMPHLETS TO PROMOTE
OURSELVES
Y
THE BIG STORY