Nibbling into Green Zone with Shampa

Check the slideshow above Shampa Gopikrishna, daughter of legendary Kathak exponent Gopikrishna and the choreographer who has made a better dancer of Sushant Singh Rajput and a winner out of a non-dancer like Gurmeet Choudhary on Jhalak Dikkhhla Jaa, sashayed in a flared palazzo and off-shoulder polka blouse to our meeting point in Godrej Complex, Vikhroli as QSR (quick service restaurant) Green Zone located here was our lunch venue. Why QSR and not a proper restaurant? Because the health conscious danseuse who feels she has to shed more weight did not want to down anything heavy. Though the pure veg eatery Green Zone is a QSR, they do serve besides meal combos, healthy and filling Express Meals replete with vegetables, roti, rice dal, kadhi,raita, papad and salad (Indian meal) and soup, starters, noodles/rice with a gravy dish (Oriental menu). But what appealed to us was their chaat, Mumbai street food like Pav Bhaji, Misal/Usal/Vada Pavs and an extensive sandwich selection. Orders were placed for Papdi Chaat, Dahi Puris and Grilled Sandwich and I had Shampa just nibbling on them with a glass of Kiwi Blush. Now that Shampa has graduated from TV to films, (she has choreographed Deepika in Ram Leela and assisted Vaibhavi Merchant in Dhoom 3’s Malang number), I guess some onscreen appearance is in the pipeline. Throwing light on Deepika’s kissing scene in Ang Laga De in Goliyon ki Raaslila - Ram Leela, Shampa cites an interesting incident, “The shooting went on for days and all the while Deepika followed my steps in dancing for the song. On the last day of the shoot when the kissing scene had to be picturised, the actor who is normally reticent, got mischievous.” And how may I ask? The petite choreographer further revealed, “Deepika told me that since she had studiously followed my choreography, I had to show her how exactly the kissing scene had to be done for her to enact.” The lissom heroine kept tailing her with the request and even told Ranveer to get ready for the smooch with Shampa. Finally, everyone on the sets chided Deepika for pulling her leg and the shot was canned without Shampa having to actually train her on the act. The affable and persuasive owners of Green Zone Vishesh Shah and Rahul Leekha made sure we had an Express Meal with Paneer Parathas and Dum Aloo to the accompaniment of Lassi, thoroughly enjoyed by my dear guest who by now had resigned herself to our tenacious nagging of giving up calorie counting for a day. ‘I shall have to skip my evening meal,” she lamented. Now that she has set her sights on films, is television on the backburner? “Sort of”, says the perky Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Odissi exponent. The interview would be incomplete without asking if her father, classical dance maestro Gopi Krishnaji, would have approved of filmi jhatkas and matkas, who according to her, “Was very open-minded. He himself brought about changes in his gharana and used to tell me never to be scared to try anything new. If he were alive today, I am sure he would have been proud of me.” Hailing from a highly respectable nritya gharana, to becoming a trained classical dancer to leaping from choreographing on small screen to silver screen, Shampa has come a long way but still there is a long way to go baby…… Best wishes for her plans of onscreen presence in Hindi films! Rapid Fire Qs with Shampa A junk food and a dessert you can't resist.. Pizza and any gooey chocolate dessert!! Are you a shopoholic? Brand conscious? Major shopaholic but not very brand conscious. I buy things that catch my eye. A die-hard habit of yours… I need my cup of sugarless black coffee in the morning. A habit you wish to kick… Staying awake till late in the night. Important qualities your man should possess… Honesty, sense of humour and patience. Your fitness secret… Lots of stretching and free hand exercises and healthy eating. You hate... Fake people. You are paranoid about… Cockroaches!!! You invest in... Strong relationships… Are u a gizmo freak… I am not. Your dream destination… My dream is to travel to each n every corner of the world and I will make it a reality!! Your idea of fun... Adventure sports. An actor whose dancing skills you adore… Prabhu Dheva Sir. Your choreographer idol… My father, Natraj Gopikrishna.