Nalasopara's Kings United leave Jennifer Lopez surprised with their act

A hip hop group from Nala Sopara is making Jennifer Lopez hold her head in amazement. We tell you how they make sure they keep their desi swag alive

If watching Gully Boy inspired you to go chase your dreams, Zoya Akhtar should now meet the boys of the hip hop group, Kings United. They are from Nala Sopara, but have spent the last few months in LA, taking part in the hit dance competition, The World of Dance, which airs on NBC, February onwards and culminates in May.

Right now, they are the talk of the town, thanks to a video of their performance from the qualifier round, which has gone viral. In the video, they are seen dancing to the tune of Rahman's Dhakka Laga Bukka. The group jumps and tumbles, and flip and flops down in complete synchronicity (which the choreographer Suresh Mukund modestly ascribes to experience), and the judges - artistes Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and dancer Derek Hough - to put it lightly, lose their sh**. When Lopez asks them where they are from, they respond saying Mumbai, and everybody shakes their head in amazement. They score a 97.7 - never been scored on the show qualifiers - to reach the next round.

It's official, the Kings United are on their way to creating dance history for a crew from India. "When we first went there, people looked at us differently. When everyone was practising backstage, we were chilling, and you could see that they thought we weren't to be taken seriously," says Karthik Priyadarshan, 27, one of the oldest members of the group. But after the first performance, everything changed. "Dancers from all over the world were coming and bowing down in front of us," laughs 23-year-old Chandan Acharya.

While they may not have been practising backstage, back in their rooms at the Mariott in LA, they would rehearse "26 hours a day". "If we took a break, we had to choose between eating or sleeping. We usually chose to sleep," says Acharya.

Mukund, adds, "We worked very hard, otherwise you can't get to that level of coordination. If anyone misses a move, it's all gone. But, we also wanted to laugh and be happy, and not take stress, as we can't dance that way."

But fame is not new to this vibrant bunch. They were the first Indian team to win a bronze medal at the World Hip Hop Championship, 2015, in San Diego, and the Remo D'Souza-directed ABCD 2, is inspired by their lives. They all knew dancing was their true love, ever since they were children, and used YouTube videos to educate themselves. It has taken a lot of parental restrictions and monetary constrictions to get the boys to this level. "I used to dance, but had to drop out and go study engineering because my parents didn't think this would lead anywhere. But then, Suresh sir got me back into the fray," says Priyadarshan. Hrithik Gupta, who is just 20, says his father was against him dancing, but his mother always encouraged him. "After my parents separated, we came to live in Vasai, and that's when she told me to join Suresh sir's crew. She is my biggest supporter."

But Mukund has also had to face a dilemma, as he tried to fuel the boys' dreams along with providing them a livelihood. "When you make a group like this, and they are fighting with their parents and family to be here, you need to make sure they are making money. We did many free shows, and it only picked up slowly. Dancing has become a legit profession. Now, we make good money, and all of them can actually spend their lives doing what they love - dancing."

When we ask them what they took away from their time in LA, Priyadarshan says, "Anywhere you go in the world, anything you may do, make it Indian. We are not doing hip hop the way the Americans do it. We do it the Indian way, with thumkas. Stick to your roots, and that will get you the recognition for sure."

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