Flamenco artist Kunal Om opens up about choreographing for O`Romeo

Professional dancer and flamenco artist Kunal Om spoke to mid-day in an exclusive conversation about making his Bollywood debut as a choreographer in Vishal Bhardwaj`s O` Romeo. Kunal Om opened up about his experience working with Avinash Tiwary and Vishal Bharadwaj.

Kunal shared that he was drawn to Flamenco after discovering the connection between his Rajasthani roots and Flamenco, as it is inspired by the traditional dance of the Romani people. He surrendered himself completely to flamenco and trained with the most acclaimed maestros in Spain for several years.

He is also known for experimenting with flamenco, creating a fusion with kathak, as well as with Rajasthani folk, Qawwali, and Bollywood music. He recently performed at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

Now, Kunal is all set to bring flamenco to Bollywood by choreographing a dynamic, never-seen-before sequence for Avinash Tiwary.

Kunal Om on working with Vishal Bhardwaj

Vishal Bharadwaj is known for his artistic sensibilities, so it was no surprise when Kunal divulged that Bhardwaj was familiar with the dance form and was keen to incorporate it in his film. He received a call from Bhardwaj`s office and was called for a meeting, during which he was left in awe of Bhardwaj`s humility and artistic vision.

Though Bhardwaj had a distinct vision for the sequence, he had faith in Kunal’s choreography skills and gave him complete artistic freedom.

“I wanted to prove my mettle and give my best to live up to Vishal ji`s expectations. With his guidance, the sequence has come out really well. He gave me the liberty to create and explore. His passion towards flamenco was so encouraging and addictive. I am blessed that my journey started with him. He’s a gem of a person, a dynamic director, and he understands all elements and facets of art. It was so nice to see a person of his stature bringing out something so different.”

Kunal Om on training Avinash Tiwary

Talking about working with Avinash Tiwary, who plays a bullfighter named Jalal in the film, Kunal couldn`t stop heaping praises on the actor. He revealed that he did a lot of one-on-one work with Tiwary to train him for the sequence.

When asked about the difficulty of adapting flamenco for a non-dancer like Tiwary, Kunal remarked that he faced no challenges due to Tiwary’s patience and dedication. “Avinash wanted to completely immerse himself in the culture to lend authenticity to his performance.”

Citing an example of his commitment, he stated. “Avinash went the extra mile and did his own research about flamenco by watching videos of performances and studying the body language to prepare.”

For Avinash, flamenco became a tool for character-building, as he conditioned his body to play a bullfighter with carefully controlled footwork and posture.