Renowned Bollywood choreographer Remo D’Souza celebrates his 50th birthday today, April 2. Since entering the entertainment world in the late 90s, D’Souza quickly established himself as a leading choreographer in the Indian film industry. In previous interviews, Remo has credited the legendary Michael Jackson’s iconic moonwalk, for inspiring him to become a choreographer. However, his journey didn’t stop there, as he wore multiple hats and turned director, producer, actor and even reality show personality.

Throughout his career, Remo has choreographed numerous chart topping tracks, including Badtameez Dil, Balam Pichkari, Deewani Mastani and more, while also helming blockbuster films. As he adds another year to his legacy, explore the intriguing tale behind his name change along with his unforgettable choreographed songs and movies that gave him stardom.

Born in Kerala as Ramesh Gopi Nair, the well-known choreographer discovered his passion for dance through movies and music videos. However, he often gives credits to Michael Jackson for influence.

In his early days in the industry, D’Souza crossed paths with Lizelle Watkins, a costume designer, whom he later married. D’Souza, in a previous interview, claimed that he converted to Christianity and decided to change his name to Remo D’Souza. Before making this major decision, he even took permission from his parents.

Remo D’Souza – Songs

1. Jawani (Student Of The Year 2)
   Sung by Vishal Dadlani and Payal Dev, the song paid homage to Kishore Kumar’s iconic track Yeh Jawani hai Dewaani. While the music video featured Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday, it was the charming choreography by Remo D’Souza that stole the show.
2. Garmi (Street Dancer 3D)
   Another energetic track choreographed by D’Souza was performed by Badshah, while Nora Fatehi and Varun Dhawan set the screens on fire with their chemistry and moves.
3. Ghar More (Kalank)
   Alia Bhatt’s charming personality mixed with Remo D’Souza’s choreography left audiences impressed. The song has been sung by the talented Shreya Ghoshal.
4. Disco Deewane (Student of the Year)
   Yet another song choreographed by the birthday boy for which he earned praise from the audience and people still match the steps. The song featured Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra.
5. Badtameez Dil (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani)
   This catchy track was a smash hit in 2013. Choreographed by Remo D’Souza, the dance steps became a favourite at every celebration, while Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone’s chemistry added charm.

Remo D’Souza – Films

1. Remo D’Souza ventured into direction with a Bengali film titled Lal Pahare’r Katha, years before his Bollywood directorial debut. Featuring Mithun Chakraborty in lead, the film garnered praise in various film festivals.
2. He directed the 2011 comedy movie FALTU, loosely inspired by the Hollywood comedy Accepted. The film starred Jackky Bhagnani, Puja Gupta, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Angad Bedi, Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi.
3. Remo D’Souza’s big break came when he got the opportunity to direct Salman Khan in the third instalment of the popular Race franchise. Though the film didn’t perform well at the box office, it gave Remo a push to helm more interesting projects.
4. In Street Dancer 3D, Remo D’Souza served as both director and producer, the story revolves around rival street dance groups from India and Pakistan. What made the movie interesting was its cast, which starred Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and participants from Dance India Dance.
5. Remo D’Souza went on to direct Tiger Shroff in the 2016 superhero film A Flying Jatt. The movie follows the journey of an ordinary man who gets extraordinary powers.