Did Ishaan Khatter offer dance tips to Nicole Kidman for The Perfect Couple? Actor reveals why his character is called Shooter Dival

Working with Nicole Kidman

Ishaan’s eyes lit up as he spoke about working with Kidman. “It was wonderful. On a scale of production like this, all you hope for is a wonderful set of people to work with, and who’s better than an icon like Nicole Kidman? I am happy to report that she is equally as wonderful as she is on screen.” He praised the show’s director, Susanne Bier, saying, “Our director Susanne Bier is a highly accomplished filmmaker, she has made some of the most bingeable series in the past few years with The Night Manager and The Undoing.”

Ishaan said that he feels blessed to have been a part of such a talented team. “I felt blessed to be in a setup like that, and what’s more, it was a great part; there was meat on the bone, and there was enough for me to bite into it, and I enjoyed it.”

The Story Behind Shooter Dival

Audiences would be justified in expressing their curiosity around Ishaan’s character’s name: Shooter Dival. He revealed that there was a backstory to the character, but it didn’t make the final cut. “First of all, the character in the book that the series is based on was called Shooter Uxley. There is a backstory, in fact, we even shot it, but it didn’t make it to the final cut.” He explained that Shooter’s name originates from his expertise in playing dice in boarding school. “That’s how he met Benji, and that’s how they became friends, and that became his nickname, because he shoots the dice.”

The Farah Khan-Style Dance Sequence

One of the most surprising aspects of The Perfect Couple is the way it begins. The vibrant flash mob-style song-and-dance sequence, reminiscent of Bollywood’s iconic Farah Khan-style numbers, and choreographed by Charm La’Donna, which accompanies the opening credits and serves to set the tone of the series. Ishaan chuckled when asked if he gave dancing tips to Kidman and other co-stars. “Advice? I won’t dare. I don’t think I would give tips to anyone on that day because everyone was mortified of doing that dance.”

He recounts how the cast initially reacted to the dance sequence. “Everybody was stressed enough. It was really sweet and kind of amusing, honestly, to me because coming from here (Bollywood), it is bread and butter. This is what we do.” However, the cast’s initial hesitation transformed into joy once they began dancing. “Eventually, when we all danced, we all had the best time because that’s what dance does; it is joyous.”

“It was a very clever decision on Susanne’s part, and now we all love it. It just kind of makes light of the whole murder mystery trope. It throws off the audience, and they don’t know what to expect going forward in the show because tonally it can be so mercurial,” concluded Ishaan.