Lord of the Dance

Bollywood choreographer Longinus Fernandes may not have the best publicity machinery in place — but trusts he has the moves to bring the business to him

There’s nothing more surprising than encountering a successful Bollywood personality who doesn’t blow his trumpet. The Slumdog Millionaire choreographer of the widely praised number Jai Ho has been globetrotting and has completed Bollywood-style dances for international projects — including Sense8 helmed by the Wachowski Brothers (Matrix series), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel featuring Richard Gere, Judi Dench and the Slumdog boy Dev Patel, as well as My Amazing Trip to India, the first Chinese film to be set against the backdrop of Rajasthan. In Mumbai, he’s yet to receive his deserved dues, although he has designed dances for dozens of films ranging from JP Dutta’s Border and Anurag Basu’s Barfi! to small-budget indie features.

Longinus Fernandes, a proverbial bundle of energy, moves with lightning quickness, and is somewhat impatient to answer my questions. Has he lacked the publicity machinery to make him a top-bracket name in Bollywood? Or do competitive choreographers play dirty? “Do I have to answer that?” he responds, and then says, “A bit of both, actually. I do not know how to project myself in the media at all. And yes, there is much undercutting of fees and backstabbing in the business. That’s part of the game, I guess.”

When the Wachowski Brothers recruited him to picturise a wedding dance in a Mumbai hotel, Longinus points out that his peers in the business may have turned green with envy, since it made big news in the international entertainment magazines. “To be honest,” he says, “I’ve learnt a lot from my colleagues, especially Farah Khan, who advised me to never give up. In any case, my three brothers and I are &involved in a business of exporting clothes to a designer brand. So, I have never had to run after filmmakers to earn my livelihood. I’m into choreography because the dancing bug bit me when I was a school kid.”

Among his influences, he mentions the names of the late director Vijay Anand, who was an ace in synchronising with his choreographers. “To date, I have never seen a Bollywood dance number which has had the same panache as the Hothon Pe Aisi Baat number from Jewel Thief. The way Vyjayanthimala was made to dance has never been equalled.” And he mentions Fred Astaire, John Travolta and Michael Jackson as his other inspirations. Among the current lot of B-town actors, he picks Hrithik Roshan as “quite easily the numero uno dancer.”

Currently, more songs and dances are in vogue in the movies. However, the number of A-list choreographers has dwindled drastically. The flamboyant Saroj Khan, who did some of the best dances for Madhuri Dixit, is no longer visible on the scene. Farah Khan has chosen to direct blockbusters. Remo Fernandes has become a director too, of dance-centric entertainers. And Vaibhavi Merchant, who excelled in designing set pieces for Sanjay Leela Bhansali, appears to be lying low. The field should be clear, then, for Longinus to jiggy to the forefront. Tell him that and he grimaces, “See, I’m not the sort who hangs around the offices of filmmakers to ask for work or flatter them. Everyone knows my phone number. If anyone needs me, I’m willing to consider the offer.”

The choreographer has dabbled with dance on all platforms: reality shows, television series, the stage and movies. He points out that his father was a navy officer who was quite startled when he saw his son imitating the moves of the legendary Helen and Mithun Chakraborty. “I would break into dance as soon as I heard a note of music,” he laughs. “My family thought I was strange; dancing wasn’t exactly a profession to aspire to for a man. When I couldn’t be stopped, they just let me go. And of the four brothers, I’d like to believe that I’m the happiest one today. I don’t have to sit at a desk, looking at business figures. They look after the money, while I do my own numbers.”

To end our conversation, I ask what’s been the most cherished moment in his life. “Ah, that’s an easy one,” he beams. “Somehow, my name had been left out of the credit titles of Slumdog Milliionaire. I felt lousy about that. But when the movie won a bunch of Oscars, Danny Boyle thanked me in his acceptance speech and apologised for the omission. I couldn’t have asked for more.”