Malaika Arora says she often calls out reality show contestants trying to be extra for camera: 'Yeh drama mat karo'

Malaika Arora talks with HT about judging Hip Hop India season 2, and exactly how ‘real’ the reality shows of India are.

She has been one of India's most popular and iconic dancers for nearly three decades now, but with Hip Hop India 2, Malaika Arora is exploring a new genre. As the judge on the Amazon MX Player show, Malaika is introducing herself to the world of hip-hop. In conversation with HT, the actor speaks about this new world, her learnings, and how she keeps it real in the world of reality TV. (

Malaika Arora is the judge on Hip Hop India season 2.

Malaika Arora says she is learning new dance forms

Malaika admits that she has learned a lot while doing the show. "Over the course of the show, I am going to learn and take up a lot of dance forms that I have not really been part of my repertoire, but I want to pursue. That makes me very happy. He (Remo) is not just mentoring them but also me as I navigate through the show," she says.

Known for her Bollywood dance moves, Malaika says she wants to add swag to her style, which already has grace and panache. "If you are attuned with a certain style, it becomes a part of your personality. I want to change that and do a 360-degree over there. I want that kind of swag to come into my dance," says Malaika.

Are reality shows scripted? Malaika responds

The actor has been a judge or mentor on several reality shows over the years and has heard several times the jibes that all reality shows are scripted. She says, "To a layperson, it would seem scripted. Sometimes, it seems like that. We get irritated if things are dramatic. We want things to be organic. With Hip Hop 2, there is no rona-dhona (crying), so here, we have kept the drama at bay."

But Malaika admits that sometimes even the contestants try to bring that drama as they feel it would work better in reality TV. "Yes, you can see that. Dikhta hai ki thoda zyada kar raha hai because they have watched a lot of reality to know this is going a certain way, but we call them out. Band karo isse, yeh drama mat karo. Ye banaawat nahin hoga yahan par (Stop this, don't do this drama. This pretense won't work here). Let's keep the focus on dance and not on drama. Let the dance speak for itself," she says.

Hip Hop India season 2 is currently streaming on Amazon MX Player.