Have you ever fought with your parents so they would let you follow your desired career or so that you could make any independent decisions? These young professional dancers are just like some of us who had to go through a hard time convincing their family members to let them follow their dreams.
Let us take you to the story of the Rush Twins, who are two twin sisters (Prakrati Khushwaha and Srashti Khushwaha) who didn’t just convince their parents to let them dance but also made them proud.
Tell us about who ‘Rush Twins’ are.
We are professional dancers, actors, models and social media influencers.
We started our journey about six years ago.
What did you actually want to be when you were growing up?
Choreographer! When we were in Class 9 when we participated in the Common Wealth Games. That’s when we realised that we wanted to choreograph something. We also got inspired by Shakti Mohan of Dance India Dance. It was always about dancing, but we learned that we loved acting when we shifted to Mumbai.
Are you self-taught dancers?
When we were in Class 8, we used to copy choreography from Bollywood. As we entered class 11, we thought about taking professional training to improve our dance. So, we took training for nine years.
Tell us about the big brands that you have worked with?
Puma, Tinder, Sugar, Urbanic and we recently shot a TV ad with cricketers Hardik Pandya and Kunal Pandya.
What was the experience of the first ad shoot like?
We were surprised that we got selected for an ad shoot with the ‘Tasty Treat’. At that time, we didn’t have the proper equipment for lighting and editing. We didn’t have much knowledge about acting or how to give auditions. When we came to Mumbai after our selection, it was a unique experience.
Before this ad shoot, we used to give a lot of auditions, but we had braces. Beauty standards in the industry don’t generally accept young professional dancers with braces. But this one was on the comedy side, so they bought it.
You have come in the news, made it big now. Has your family always been supportive?
No, not really. Our family was always concerned that dancing couldn’t be made into a career. Moreover, societal conditioning made them think that by letting the girls do what they want to do, they encourage us to be brats. We had to struggle a lot to convince our parents at each step.
In 2017, we got selected for a reality show, and the team called us to shoot for three months. But my parents were scared that the industry would influence us and we won’t come back.
But destiny has always planned things for you. It was our day 1 in Mumbai, and we got a call from the Colours channel that we wanted your profile. They asked us to come for a look test to Film City the next day.
What was your family’s response to you working as a young professional dancer?
Our family is happy that we are growing, but they still hope that we’ll come back someday and do a regular job in some corner of their heart. But after so many years, we have realised that we are not the kind of people who want to get into 9 to 5 jobs.
How hard is it to handle everything when your family isn’t supportive?
It is super hard. We have each other to handle. But being without family’s support is hardest. When we were selected for a reality show, our mother finally understood that we are capable of making it big in life. But even then, our father and brother weren’t supportive and didn’t let us go for it. Now, they understand that we are earning, but something deep inside them still wants us to come back.
Did you ever think about giving it up?
Multiple times! We have considered giving up dance and doing a proper job so that our parents remain happy, but that was something that we couldn’t do, no matter how hard we tried. We also faced depression: cut-off our friends, and family. To cope with all of that, we started making videos on Instagram and YouTube.
How hard is it for a woman to survive in Bombay’s film industry?
As women, we are so used to feeling unsafe when we are outside at night that even now when surrounded by people on sets, we feel uncomfortable if it gets late.
Many men in the industry support women. Things are changing, but it is slow. Even now, we find it problematic to find flats in Bombay.
What kind of challenges do you face now?
Growing in the film industry is hard. Firstly, one needs to have contacts to help you reach the right people. Secondly, you need to be an extrovert. Both of these are challenging for us as we are introverts.
What is your future vision for Rush Twins?
We want to make Rush Twins a brand and become artists who aren’t just good at one art but all in one. We want to work on OTT platforms like Netflix, doing different genres in acting. As young professional dancers, we never want to fit into our comfort zones. Also, we want our parents to explore the world with us.
Where did this name – ‘Rush Twins’ come from?
There are two things to this. The first is that we always want to keep hustling. ‘Rush’ is like a drive for us that keeps us going. Secondly, earlier on, our families weren’t too supportive. We had time limits and had to return home at a fixed time. Despite completing back-to-back rehearsals, we used to literally run around the metro station only to reach home on time. At times, we had to skip food so that our parents don’t get angry.
Any suggestion to those who cannot follow their dreams because of resistance from parents?
We would say that fighting your parents isn’t the solution. You have to make them understand the problems and believe in your abilities. The film industry is supportive of women as well. You should just follow your dreams. Things will flow eventually.
The story of these young professional dancers is a great example of how dedication and determination can help you achieve big things in life. If you enjoyed reading this one, please comment below to share your thoughts.
You can read stories about many other inspirational influencers and warriors at our website – thewingedwomen.com, and share your own story.
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