It was the ultimate dream for any choreographer to get the Moonwalker to dance to his moves. Bollywood dance pro Remo DSouza,however,got a chance to pay an unusual tribute to iconic pop singer Michael Jackson who died in June this year,when he directed the singers older brother,Jermaine Jackson,for a music video recently in Mumbai. Jermaine,who is visiting India,has collaborated with singer Adnan Sami for Go to Mumbai City,a song dedicated to MJ fans in India. When I first walked into DSouzas studio,I was taken aback to see pictures of my brother covering the walls of his rehearsal hall. It was an emotional moment for me, says Jackson,who is said to have sung more than 1,000 songs with MJ through his musical career. Jermaine rehearsed with DSouza for three days before the shoot,which took three days to wrap up. Clad in a suave khadi jacket,he is seen in the video,flipping his toes in signature MJ style across the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal and Gateway of India while Sami,in his kurta,attempts the famous moonwalk. Jermaine is a stronger singer than a dancer but an MJ tribute video would have been incomplete without the King of Pops signature moves. Jermaine understood,and put his heart into learning the steps, says DSouza. The song has a desi feel to it in keeping with the theme,so get ready to see Jackson doing the namaste as well. DSouza,who made his debut with Ramgopal Vermas Rangeela,has also choreographed the recent Wake Up Sid and the forthcoming London Dreams. His next move though,is behind the camera,for a film tentatively titled Faltu,which stars Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor. I will start shooting in December. Ever since I started my career in 1995,I have been waiting to direct my own film in Bollywood. Faltu is about college kids and their rebellious nature, says DSouza,whose first directorial outing was a Bengali film called Lal Paharer Katha. But for now,Mumbai is calling him the guy who kept Michael Jacksons big brother on his toes.
