Harbhajan and co. aim to bowl over girls with dance

Showbusiness and cricket have long been passions in India. Now the two are joining forces in a new television show that pairs well-known stars with their sporting counterparts in a dance contest. "Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena", loosely translated as A Cricketer and A Maiden, follows a similar format to the popular British variety show "Strictly Come Dancing", where celebrities team up with ballroom dancing professionals. Former England opening batsman Mark Ramprakash and fast bowler Darren Gough have both won that series, showing nifty footwork and a previously hidden talent for the Tango, Foxtrot and Cha Cha Cha. Attempting to do something similar are fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, spinner Harbhajan Singh, swing bowler Irfan Pathan, wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, former slow bowler Nikhil Chopra and former batsman Vinod Kambli. Their partners will be stars of the large and small screen Surveen Chawla, Mona Singh, Ashima Bhalla, Nigar Khan, Barkha Bisht and Shama Sikander. But instead of ballroom, they will be swinging to popular tracks in an hour-long show from next Friday and Saturday on the cable-satellite channel Colors, in the hope of winning a 54,000-dollar top prize. Casting a careful eye over their efforts will be former Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram, who with the former Miss Universe-turned-Bollywood star Sushmita Sen and the studio audience will vote on the couples' efforts. Television advertisements for the show have already begun running, with the cricketers, dressed in maroon silk shirts, throwing shapes with their partners. Colors head of programmes Ashvini Yardi said in a statement: "We've all grown up idolising our cricketing heroes. I am sure that after 'Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena', we'll be practising their steps as well." England's Gough won "Strictly Come Dancing" after being left out of the national side in 2005. But there is no danger of Harbhajan being double-booked for the upcoming three-Test series against Australia starting early next month: the dance show is recorded.

Source: www.circbuzz.com