Tanay Malhara crowned Dance Plus winner

Fifteen weeks of consistent hard work has finally helped Tanay Malhara take home the trophy for Dance Plus, as he emerged winner in a glittering finale on Sunday. Tanay outdid the other top three contenders — Wild Rippers Crew, Piyush Bhagat and Sushant Khatri — to clinch the title. In an event attended by Ranbir Kapoor and Sakshi Malik, he took home `25 lakhs and a car, along with his trophy.

Sharing his excitement on the big win, an elated Tanay said, “This is like a dream come true. My aim was to present my style to the audiences. The captains and super judges continued motivating me at each level. The audiences, especially, people from my home town Jalgaon, supported me with their votes.”

Even as the youngster drew immense support on the show, the winning moment took him by surprise. Says Tanay, “I was in shock for a good five minutes. After my performance, panelists Shakti (Mohan) ma’am, and Punit (Pathak) sir told me that I deserved to be in the top four and that they wouldn’t be surprised if I manage to win. Their comment made me realise that if it weren’t for this show, I wouldn’t have received the love and respect that I yearned for.”

Considering the fact that Tanay wasn’t keen on participating in the show because of a personal tragedy, it has been an eventful journey for him. He says, “Three days prior to my auditions for Dance Plus, my grandmother passed away. I was too down to give an audition, but I decided to go for it anyway, since it was my grandmother’s wish. I was apprehensive of even making it to the auditions since I was the youngest. But, as the weeks went by, Remo (D’Souza) sir and Dharmesh (Yelande) sir supported me a lot.”

Tanay believes it was also Dharmesh’s mentorship that helped him clinch the title. He says, “Every performance that I presented was different. Dharmesh sir’s mind-blowing choreography helped me give my best week after week, which contributed to my win.”