Ek Pal Ka Jeena - Hong Kong - Passion Project

Ek Pal Ka Jeena means to live in the moment before it passes us by.

Moments can be fleeting, especially in a place like Hong Kong. In this way, my four years in Asia had flown by. This video is my interpretation of a Bollywood classic with an Asian twist. It is an ode to the city that comes to life at night and is close to my heart. Elements are inspired by Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan. The synth heavy song compliments the neon dystopian Hong Kong vibe.

This production is special as it’s my first solo video project. The conceptual process was a lot of fun thanks to Hong Kong’s diverse range of locations. I wanted to take the viewer on a late-night journey as I danced through the city streets. I teamed up with talented cinematographer Woody Wu. With his local knowledge we scouted Kowloon for locations matching my storyboard.

Filming was a challenge as we chose to shoot in one of the worlds’s most densely populated places – Mong Kok! This meant filming late at night and into the early hours. Mong Kok is teeming with both human and artificial life. We felt the best way to capture this would be to include one of the famous traffic crossings. This meant dancing in the centre, facing oncoming traffic between green and red lights! The result is an electrifying mix of dance, neon city lights, cars, bustling crowds and towering buildings.

Factoring in the Hong Kong heat and busy fruit market at 1 am, this was a challenging project, shot over three nights. The response has been fantastic so far and I hope you enjoy it as well!

Oshika - Sri Lanka - Wedding Choreography

Bollywood bonanza as a prince marries his princess on the shores of Colombo.

The term Fairytale wedding is clichéd. In the case of my friends Oshan and Radhika, it’s an understatement. Friends and family from all corners of the world gathered to mark this wonderful occasion in Colombo. It was a reminder of the incredible power of love and its ability to bring people together.

Bollywood dance performances at weddings have become the norm. We wanted to take it one step further and choreograph a Bollywood production showcasing our bride and grooms love story. I began by writing a script to include performances by the groomsmen, bridesmaids, family members and the newlyweds. We selected six songs which matched the love story narrative. A pre-recorded introductory voice-over would set the scene, followed by acting and Bollywood dance performances.

The major challenge was co-ordinating and communicating this vision to participants in over seven different countries! I sent out the script and filmed video tutorials for the guests to learn before arriving in Sri Lanka. Rehearsals were then carried out in the days prior to the wedding.

The result? A live Bollywood production.

Bollywood Baes Dance Workshop - Hong Kong

Last weekend we created some magic in Hong Kong. People of all backgrounds came together to dance with each other. Some of the partners had just met that day. But if you look at the videos, their expressions say otherwise. That's because we all inherently want to smile. It's impossible not to when dancing. Especially to Bollywood! It was a pleasure teaching such an excitable group with Hanisha. Although I had lost my voice the following day.

Hanisha's passion for Bollywood dance was the driving force behind this workshop. She conceptualized the well-received teaser videos which were shot on the edgy streets of Sheung Wan. We decided that instead of shooting in a studio, why not make use of the many eye-catching backdrops Hong Kong has to offer. The second teaser video received over 150,000 views on Instagram within a few days!

The workshop was very well received and I'm looking forward to more like this one.

Check out Hanisha’s channel for more fun Bollywood videos.