No Royal Moves?

A few days back,a top UK publication reported that Bollywood dance duo Sandip Soparrkar and his model-dancer wife Jesse Randhawa will be performing at the post-Royal wedding exclusive party. “My question to the media is how is my name in the papers if I was not supposed to perform? Do you think that I went to London and told them to put it in there?” says an agitated Soparrkar who is in the midst of unwanted speculation. Media reports claim that he faked the royal invite,but Soparrkar’s defence is that he had no reason to fake such a thing. In fact,he had planned a preview of the dance for his students and friends at a lounge in Mumbai on April 26. “Do you think I would get Manish Malhotra to work on the costumes for two months and Kangna Ranaut to unveil the invite? Even Poonam Dhillon and Chitra Pillai were going to be present. Would I go to the extent of wasting their time?” the choreographer asks.

The preview event was cancelled last minute on April 25 after Soparrkar fell after a rehearsal and injured his knee. “My knee is still swollen. I might have to undergo a minor surgery after a week,” he says. The news of the couple’s performance at the Royal Reception was out in the UK in the end of January. “When the media here asked me for details,I didn’t reveal much and I insisted that it was a very private event,” he says.

The invite that Soparrkar received is from a James Kidner,assistant private secretary to His Royal Highness Prince of Wales. “The reason the Royal Press Office and Kidner’s office are denying it is that they do not wish to publicise details. It’s the same as,say,a Bachchan wedding. Would we know who danced at Abhishek-Aishwarya’s wedding? It’s the same with the Royal Family,” he justifies,adding,“I am shocked to read some unfavourable comments about myself from others of my fraternity. I didn’t do this for publicity as I don’t need it.”