Remo Dsouza: My health scare was a big lesson, a big jhataka. One should live in the now
The director, who is working on his dream project, talks about the “health scare” last year, on his birthday, looks back at his life and says, “One never knows what will happen tomorrow. So just be happy and be positive”
Four months ago, Remo Dsouza had a heart attack and underwent angioplasty. Having recuperated and even back to the gym, these days, the director-choreographer is “feeling much better”. “It was scary and for me, it still feels like a frightful dream, which came true. What I learnt is you can’t predict life. One never knows what will happen tomorrow. I say, just be happy and be positive in life. Spread love and happiness around you. Mere liye yeh health scare ek big lesson, bada jhataka tha jo tal gaya, thank God!” he shares.
Dsouza enjoys keeping a low-profile and his birthdays, too, are the same. “I am always low key but these days due to coronavirus, there’s no other option. My wife and kids get excited and plan surprises for me, which is really sweet. Last year, it was lockdown, so we baked a cake at home and this year, at least we can order one! Even celebrations are just family and really close friends. Moreover, with the virus scare and keeping my health in mind, I am not meeting many people this time,” reveals Dsouza who turns 46 on April 2.
He recalls how his wife, Lizelle gave him a surprise and planned a trip to Singapore. “I didn’t know what was the plan and it was a pleasant surprise. In fact, not just the family but some close friends too flew down to make the day special. We all had a wonderful time,” he exclaims.
Having started his career as a choreographer, it was with the reality show, Dance India Dance, that Dsouza became a household name. He moved on to direction with F.A.L.T.U (2011) and since then has directed many films including, ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013), ABCD 2 (2015) and Street Dancer 3D (2020). Talking about the way his career panned out, he says, “I am happy with the way my life has turned out. It is going well and I think I have done well. I have a lot more to achieve but whatever I have achieved is all thanks to God and my parents’ blessings. I wanted to direct Salman Khan in a film and I did that in Race 3 (2018). I won the National Award for Choreography for the song, Deewani Mastani (Bajirao Mastani; 2015). I wanted to buy a big house for my family and I did. Now, I have a lot of plans and I am working on a big project as of now. It is my dream film and hopefully should start by next year.”