Marvel Studios' Eternals features the South Asian hero Kingo Sunen, played by stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter Kumail Nanjiani. In the film, Kingo becomes a Bollywood superstar, so Nanjiani had to step into unfamiliar territory and learn to dance, and dance well enough to blend in alongside 50 professional dancers. To make sure the Kingo actor didn't stick out like a stubbed toe, Marvel hired Bollywood choreographer Nikeela Bose to work with him for several months prior to the first Bollywood rehearsal, so Nanjiani would be prepared to learn the choreography in three days.
MovieWeb had a chance to speak with the Eternals' choreographer Nileeka Bose before the film's release on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD later this month on February 15.
Kumail Nanjiani's Bollywood Dance Training 101
Rebecca Kaplan: What was it like to train Kumail Nanjiani for Eternals?
Nileeka Bose: Honestly, the whole process from start to finish was so wonderful. I think he's such a great person. He's not a dancer. He's a self-proclaimed non-dancer. So to take someone who didn't believe that they could dance to going out and doing a nearly three-minute sequence, it was so much fun. And to see the confidence grow each time we met to the day he filmed, it was wonderful for me.
RK: In an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Nanjiani said there was a three-month training process. What was it like?
NB: When people ask, “How did you train him for three months? What did he actually do?” Honestly, in the first month and a half, he learned to dance because he didn't know how to dance. Then, he learned the dance that went in the film. So it was really interesting.
Watch the "Marvel Tricked Kumail Nanjiani into Doing a Bollywood Dance Number" clip from The Tonight Show below:
RK: What was the rehearsal process with all 52 dancers?
NB: We got 2 to 3 days of rehearsals before we filmed, and that was like full-on days at Pinewood Studios. It was an amazing week, and we filmed that same week. We went into rehearsals in the morning, came out around 5:00 PM. It was so much to do. It was a whirlwind of going from what we saw on paper to this is happening. Then, I stood behind the camera. I got a glimpse of what it would look like in the cinema. Then, we had a two-year wait, and then it came out.
RK: Did he use a dance double at all?
NB: He did have a stunt double for some of the film, but not for the dance scene. I'm proud to say that is 100 percent Kumail Nanjiani.
RK: Were you also responsible for Kingo's choreographed hand movements?
NB: No, I can't take credit. I wish I could, but that was all someone else. But I did hear Salma Hayek say that she was confused about when he was doing his Bollywood and when he was doing his like action sequences.
The Legend of Ikaris
RK: Can you explain what Bollywood is and how it is different?
NB: Yeah. Bollywood is a form of Indian dance made up of maybe classical Indian hand gestures and modern styles. So, it's a fusion of, say, salsa, hip hop, trending dances, and commercial dance. It's all in one melting pot, and it's set to Hindi language (or Punjabi sometimes) music. So, Bollywood is a dance style, but the culture is Indian. I think there's a lot of confusion between Bollywood and Indian dance, but it can be one or the other, or both. I think this is just the beginning of people seeing Indian dance in American and UK cinema. I hope there will be more after this film.
RK: I noticed that choreography incorporates various dance styles, like hip hop and ballet.
NB: Definitely. I think with Bollywood people tend to believe is purely what you see in classical Indian, and it really isn't. It can be anything.
RK: How did you approach choreographing "The Legend of Ikaris"? Can you tell me more about the full three-plus minute piece?
NB: It was a three-minute number, and people saw two minutes and something. It was beautiful. We managed to get the bulk of what we choreographed and filmed on-screen.
There was an instrumental section. There was a love story section. There was almost a wedding or homecoming section. The whole idea behind it was that he was playing a movie within a movie. He's playing his friend Ikaris, but it's his alter ego, a Bollywood star. That's what he went off to do when he was told to join society and become immersed in it, he put himself on this massive platform and everyone then knew who he was.
Watch the full "Bollywood" clip from Marvel Studios' Eternals below:
RK: Kingo's been a Bollywood star for a while. Did you have story ideas for his other Bollywood films?
NB: We didn't even need to talk about it because we both knew the stars he was trying to be. But we did have people in our mind that we referenced. Also, Kingo on his own is a very funny character, so he has his expressions, like the raised eyebrows. I think Kumail did a great job at being Kingo.
RK: Who designed the costumes for the Bollywood scene?
NB: It was a friend of mine, Saran Kohli. He is a very well-known designer with menswear, and he managed to give them some ideas for Kingo's look. But he also did all 50 costumes for the dancers, and he did a great job.
Nileeka Bose's Journey to Marvel
RK: What's your dance background?
NB: I first trained in Western styles, like ballet, jazz, modern, classical, tap dance, all those styles. I then moved into Bollywood as I grew older. I wanted to learn more about the culture and understand the different dance styles that made up Bollywood. As I grew older, Bollywood became my only style, and I became a specialist.
Then, I left a day job. I was in PR and marketing. I also had a law degree. Then, I decided I didn't just want to become a choreographer. I started my own dance company, so we have a dance school. I teach people; I have a team, and a lot of the team actually appeared in the movie. I'm a choreographer as well. So, I get to dance all day. It's the best job in the world. I'm very lucky.
RK: What was the leap from law to dance like?
NB: It was a difficult choice, especially when you don't have anyone else to look to in your family who's a dancer or choreographer or even anyone creative. For me, it was challenging to say this is what I really want to do. It took years to get an opportunity like this, but I worked a little harder every year. I did a little more, and more people found out about me. I was very sure that growing up in an era of social media that was not the path I wanted to go down. I tried to focus on films and being a real-life choreographer.
RK: Does your daughter have a favorite superhero or dancer?
NB: She doesn't. She's only five, and she hardly understands what I do is stuff she can go and see in the cinema. So, I think this is the year. Hopefully, I will introduce her to more of my work.
She’s not into superheroes. I think her classmates are, and they're all mad about Spider-Man. At age five, Spider-Man is the hot topic. But yeah, I'm going to force her down the route of Kingo.
Eternals is now available on Digital and will be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD February 15.