On International Dance Day in 2024, Shantanu Maheshwari believes that dancing brings joy

Shantanu Maheshwari recalled on International Dance Day 2024 how his mother, Sandhya Maheshwari, had pushed him to continue dancing, which has now grown to be a vital aspect of his life.He said his mother, who had a strong love for dance and singing, had seen his potential. He liked to work behind the camera, but she thought he would flourish in front of it.She therefore encouraged him to follow his goals and lived vicariously through his successes.

Maheshwari told Hindustan Times that dancing has a big role in his life when asked. “Dancing has always made me happy.” Dancing has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people, get notoriety, and discover my love for acting. It has given me a lot of new opportunities. With his group Desi Hoppers, the artist has even represented India on a worldwide stage at events like “World of Dance” and “America’s Got Talent.” He refers to them as “his best years.” “Our goal was to include India on the global dance map. We made a large dancing movement.”

He will always love to dance, but in his teenage years, he gave it up for a while because of the stigma attached to being called a “dancer,” which made it difficult for him to pursue other chances. When he tried his hand at acting, he ran into a similar situation. He said that because of his history in dancing, many assumed he could only play parts that included dancing.

For him, breaking through that stereotype was a big challenge. He did, however, note that his performance in “Gangubai Kathiawadi” (2022) proved to everyone that he is capable of acting in roles that do not always need dance. Remarkably, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali cast him, he had no idea about his history in dance.

Santanu Maheshwari, who took part in dance contests, liked how they helped artists but is dissatisfied with how important they are becoming less and less.