If Zeenat is MJ, Deepika is Justin

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Choreographer Bosco talks about comparisons between Zeenat Aman and Deepika Padukone resulting from the 'Dum Maaro Dum' item song. 

Deepika Padukone's much-talked about item number in Dum Maaro Dum is overshadowing everything else associated with the film. Ask the man behind Deepika's seductive gyrations in the song, choreographer Bosco Martis and he says, "Something like this happened with Dus in 2005 when the entire promotion of the film was modeled around the title track. Dus Bahane had almost become a national anthem then". 

The remixed number Dum Maaro Dum composed by Pritam Chakraborthy promises to be as much mesmerizing as Deepika's dance moves. "When Rohan Sippy played the revised Dum Maaro Dum track to me, I loved the new groovy feel which would appeal to today's generation. While the original is eternal, we were really kicked to give a new perspective to the remixed number". 

Comparisons between Zeenat Aman and Deepika Padukone are inevitable but Bosco feels it's really unfair to compare them. "Zeenat Aman's everlasting grace can be felt till now. Even today I would love to groove to the Zeenat Aman number. But comparing Zeenat Aman with Deepika Padukone is like comparing Michael Jackson with Justin Timberlake. Their sensibilities and the styling are completely different. What we have tried here is to give a different vibe to the original song and make it a next generation number. We have not tried to replicate what Zeenat Aman did. But at the same time what Deepika has done to the song cannot be repeated", claims Bosco. 

While the original number didn't have many dance moves, the newer one is a hardcore dance number. "We have replaced the simple swinging steps from the original with a lot of aggressive movements here. Also we have tried to give high paced energy to the dance steps with a lot of thumping and hip-hop. The song has a raw appeal to it", explains Bosco. 

While choreographing a remixed version of an old chartbuster is there a challenge involved in terms of bettering the original or the work becomes simpler since one has a reference point? Bosco explains, "The beauty of choreographing old hit numbers is that you can give your own outlook to the song. At least that is how I treated 'Twist' ( Love Aaj Kal ) and Dum Maaro Dum . I think of it as choreographing a new number altogether and giving it my interpretation". 

Apparently Deepika had real red ants crawling on her back for the song. "We did take some styling shots of Deepika with ants", admits Bosco. "It was in sync with the drug-trafficking theme of the film. Also gimmicks like these add to the curiosity factor surrounding the song and at times work wonders". 

And what does he have to say about tags that this track could be the next 'Munni' or 'Sheila'? " Munni and Sheila have already gone. They were the best of last year. We hope Dum Maaro Dum turns out to be one of the best item numbers of this year". 

Finally does he plan to turn towards film direction like other of his contemporaries – Farah Khan, Ganesh Acharya and Remo D'Souza? "Presently we want the 'Bosco-Caesar' brand to be amongst the best in the dancing world. There is still some time for us to understand the medium of cinema. Till then the focus is on choreography", he signs off.