From an Assistant Choreographer to Becoming ‘Geeta Maa’ for Her Students, Inspiring Journey of Famous Judge Geeta Kapur

By Ruchi Sharma

A mother’s unconditional love for her child is a feeling that can’t be expressed in words. But sometimes this relationship goes way beyond blood ties or anything even close. One of the biggest examples of this is choreographer and TV celebrity judge Geeta Kapur. You might have heard her being fondly called ‘Geeta Maa’ countless times by her students. She has not only been a mentor and guide to them but holds a special place in their hearts! But ever wondered about her inspirational journey? Here’s all you need to know.

Pic source: IndiaToday

When Did Geeta Begin with Her Career?

Geeta joined her mentor Farah Khan's troupe at the age of just 16 years. She was Farah Khan's assistant in many iconic films like Mohabattein, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai and Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham to name a few! She then worked as a lead choreographer in films like Saathiya, Asoka and many more. 

Geeta's Bond with Farah Khan

Pic Source: HT

Another mom-daughter bond! That's the definition of this beautiful duo. Geeta looks up to Farah as a mother figure in her life. She often told it in her interviews and over various portals about it as well. In one of the reality shows she mentioned, “Whenever I used to go for any work, shoot or event, my mother used to travel with me. However, after I started working with her (Farah Khan), we had to travel abroad a lot and my mother couldn’t travel with me at that time. But Farah took care of me like a mother and I felt that maternal love and protection, since then I started calling her ‘mumma’ from my heart.”

A fun fact!

Do you remember that cute girl rotating her two pigtails in the song 'Gori Gori' from Main Hoon Na? That girl was Geeta Kapoor! She was actually a background dancer in a few more songs too.

Geeta's Debut As A Judge 

Pic Source: IndiaForums

It was the golden year 2008 when the first season of the infamous show Dance India Dance aired on television. Till then choreographers were seen behind the camera and not many people knew them by face, but the reality shows brought them in front of the camera! The trio judges Geeta Kapoor, Terrence Lewis and Remo D'Souza along with Mithun Chakrabarty as the head judge have been one of the many reasons for the success of the show, of course along with the extremely talented contestants who took part in the show. The format of the show included having contestants in each of the three judges teams being mentored by them and 'Geeta ka gang' was one of them. That was the moment we got to know the ace choreographer as 'Geeta Ma' for the first time.

Recalls Being Body Shamed

Geeta has always been expressive, be it her emotions or her feelings she never shied away to express it. In Maniesh Paul's podcast she revealed how people didn't look beyond her physical appearance when she was a judge on Dance India Dance. She said on the podcast, "I would get such nasty comments through fan mails. One day, I was really upset and wondered what was even happening. Why is no one looking at my work? I am sitting in the middle of two men and trying to make my place but no one looking at that. No one is seeing the hard work that I am doing. Why is everyone asking why do I belong here? People used to call me fat. 'You look like a buffalo'. Obviously, Terrence was a good-looking guy and Remo had a personality to look forward to and everybody was like ‘why are you here?”. It must have been a difficult time for Geeta but she emerged victorious.

Her Journey Since Then....

Pic Source: TOI

Geeta Kapoor is now synonymous with being a judge in Dance reality shows. Her expert comments and emotional bonding with not only her students (who have themselves become successful choreographers) but also the contestants on the show have tugged at our hearts often. She has been seen as a judge on not only multiple seasons of Dance India Dance but also shows like Dance India Dance li'l Masters, all seasons of Super Dancer, India's Best Dancer and many more. At present she is judging India's Best Dancer Season 3 along with fellow judges Terrence Lewis and Sonali Bendre. Though Geeta Kapoor is not yet married, her motherly love for her students as a mentor is nothing short of beautiful.

Geeta Maa's bond with her students (now successful choreographers) like Dharmesh sir, Tushar Shetty is truly inspiring. Like they say some bonds go beyond simple relationships. 

Informations Source for Interviews: HT, Hindustan Times Image in Banner Source: TOI