Dheekshith Shetty on The Girlfriend’s Nadhive: Glad that people are accepting an out-of-the-box song choreography

Dheekshith Shetty and Rashmika Mandanna performed an elaborate contemporary dance for the video of the song, which will not be in the film

Rashmika Mandanna and Dheekshith Shetty in Nadhive from The Girlfriend

When the first single, Nadhive, from the upcoming Telugu original film The Girlfriend came out, audiences were pleasantly surprised by the choice of dance form – contemporary – which both Rashmika Mandanna and Dheekshith Shetty performed to the best of their capabilities and received widespread praise. Rashmika, of course, is quite the accomplished dancer, but Dheekshith’s talents were not widely known; at least to audiences outside of Karnataka.

Dheekshith, as it turns out, is the winner of a dance reality show, having participated in Dance Karnataka Dance way back in 2017, along with his Nagini co-star Deepika Das. Back then he’d done some lifts and moves in the contemporary style, but not a full-fledged choreography, so Nadhive was a first for him.

Dheekshith Shetty: Nadhive was an opportunity to learn something new

“Nadhive is the first song that I have shot on a set. This was a good experience for me. We’d rehearsed for 7-8 days with choreographer Vishwakiran Nambi, who taught us every minute detail. It was, no doubt, a tad difficult, in terms of body flexibility to ensure the movements look fluid and performing it technically sound with perfect timing. Unlike a live show, where small mistakes can go unnoticed, that’s not the case with cinema, given that the camera captures every detail. So, it was important to get it right,” said Dheekshith.

Also read: Dheekshith Shetty on The Girlfriend: Rashmika Mandanna is the reason for the film; I’m only a part of it

In the course of their preparation, both Dheekshith and Rashmika sustained minor injuries too. “But as an actor, I saw it as an opportunity to learn something new and really enjoyed the entire process,” he said, adding that he did not expect the response that the song has got. “It’s nice that people are accepting a song that’s not in the routine format and is rather out-of-the-box. It will give other actors and film teams the confidence to try something new,” said Dheekshith.

The video that has been released now will not be in the film, though, and was shot as promotional material. “I am immensely grateful to Rahul (Ravindran) sir, for creating this opportunity,” he signed off.

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