A dark horse’s dance to the top

Vasai boy and Kings United’s Suresh Mukund, who became the first Indian to win the World Choreography Award last month, says he no longer needs to prove himself to those who accused him of being a copycat

It was the year 2000 and Hrithik Roshan was every true-blooded Indian’s crush. The way he danced to Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, his body swaying as if it had no bones, caught Vasai boy Suresh Mukund’s fancy. Mukund was just 12 then, and his brother was the star of his home and school. “He was fair-skinned and was a great dancer, while I was dark. That gave me a complex. I thought I wasn’t receiving any attention. I took that part of my life as a challenge,” he tells us, over a telephonic chat. 

Last month, Mukund became the first Indian to receive the World Choreography Award 2020, for choreographing his group Kings United, which won NBC’s reality show, World of Dance Season 3. He was previously nominated for the Emmy’s, as well. “It’s taken 21 years to get here,” he says.

Mukund, who is the son of a real estate developer, believes that his life changed after he became a dancer. “I was never good at anything. But, when I started getting some kind of validation for my dance, I somehow started excelling in other parts of my life, like studies, as well. I forgot that I was dark, and even started making friends, which had been hard for me before. It gave me a lot of self-confidence.”

But, a career as a dancer was unthinkable in the early 2000s. Mukund’s brothers had joined their father’s real estate business. He was expected to do the same. His heart, though, was in dance, and he was hoping he’d get a chance to prove himself. At the time, the only Indian dance reality show worth its salt was Boogie Woogie, hosted by actor and dancer Javed Jaffrey and his brother Naved. “But, I had no clue how to get there. I had to fight with my parents to get into dancing. I finally did make it to Boogie Woogie with my dance group Fictitious in 2009, but even then, I wasn’t making any money at all.” 

Mukund’s dancing crew went on to participate in India’s Got Talent twice, before winning the third season. “We must have performed on every single reality dance show, be it in Mumbai, or down south,” he recalls. “I had to do an events business on the side, and hustle like mad.”  

Things started looking up for him in 2015, when his group Kings United became the first Indian group to win a medal at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship held in San Diego, California. With the praise, came the brickbats. “People said I wasn’t original, as I used to look at YouTube videos of the dance groups internationally and copy their routines. But we even beat the dance group Philippine All-Stars [in California, in 2015]. I was most inspired by their work. This meant there was something unique about me. I brought my own style to the choreography.” This was a defining moment in Mukund's career. “When people see you succeeding, they try and bring you down. That’s why winning this title means so much.”

Describing himself as a better choreographer than a dancer, Mukund says the hardest part of this journey was building his group, and making it a brand to reckon with. The group comprises 16 members, all of whom hail from Vasai and Nalasopara. “We used to get paid half of what a solo dancer would. It’s very hard to succeed as a group, but we wanted to take everyone along.” 

Today, he is known internationally as the man who makes Bollywood dance edgy. “The international dance community is very different from the Indian one. They appreciate you, and even though they may be competing against you, they don’t hate you. In India, it’s competitive in a negative way.” 

Having aced dancing, the 33-year-old now wants to try his hand at acting. “I also want Covid-19 to end, and all of us to go back to dancing around the world. A touring life is the best.”

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