EXCLUSIVE | Bosco Martis shares his favourite song choreographies, reveals football helped him become a performer

As his latest music video Downtown, featuring Tiger Shroff, drops to roaring response, Bosco Martis finds himself at a reflective juncture. One of Bollywood’s most influential choreographers, Bosco has spent 25 years shaping how Hindi cinema moves, from slick urban grooves to emotionally charged classical frames. Yet, despite the scale of his career, he insists that every new song still feels like a first.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost’s Zinia Bandyopadhyay, Bosco opens up about his personal favourite songs, and the choices would really take you aback!

Bosco shares his favourite songs

Bosco Martis has worked in every genre of films and has given hit hook steps. However, his favourite choregraphies are the unconventional ones.

“I think two of my most special songs are ones many people don’t immediately associate with me. One is Ye Tara Woh Tara from Swades with Shah Rukh Khan, and the other is Maay Bhavani from Tanhaji. I celebrate these songs deeply because they come from pure storytelling and experience."

More from Entertainment

'Kerala Story 2' update: Kerala High Court slams CBFC over film's certification, stays release for 15 days Kerala High Court halts the release of 'The Kerala Story 2', says movie depicts the state in a wrong light: Details inside

So, how did he conceptualise these songs? Martis replies, “When you work closely with great directors, you begin to understand their headspace. I have been fortunate to collaborate with filmmakers like Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Imtiaz Ali, Rajkumar Hirani, and David Dhawan. Working with them teaches you so much, not just about movement, but about emotion, narrative, and audience sensibility.”

He continues, “They know their audience, their rhythm, and the responsibility they carry towards storytelling. Their commitment and discipline push you to become better. That learning is priceless. It reminds you that learning never stops. Every project teaches you something new, and that growth reflects in the songs you create. I constantly try to absorb those experiences and apply them to my choreography.”

On working on Downtown with Tiger Shroff

His latest release Downtown, featuring Tiger Shroff, marks a personal milestone as it launches Bosco’s own music label, BLM Music. Speaking about Shroff, he mentioned, “Tiger is a dream to work with. He’s hardworking, disciplined, and incredibly self-driven. The moment I told him I was starting my label, he instantly said yes.”

Bosco describes Tiger’s commitment as transformative. “I gave my 200 percent. Tiger gave his 500 percent. He makes every move look effortless, and that takes insane preparation. This song is my baby, and both Tiger and Akansha Sharma treated it as their own. That ownership shows on screen.”

Bosco Martis says football helped him become a dancer

During the interview, Martis also revealed that it was his practice in football that helped him become a choreographer. In fact, he always wanted to be a professional football player. He says, “I was always a sportsperson before I was a dancer. I grew up playing football in Mumbai, and sports has been a very important part of my life. When I realised I couldn’t pursue football professionally, I channelled those skills into dance.”

His football training is what helps him do the effortless chorepographies. “If you look closely at my choreography, especially the footwork, a lot of it comes directly from football. The agility, balance, speed, control- all of that is rooted in my training as a sportsman. Sports taught me discipline, stamina, and fearlessness, and that became my foundation as a performer.”

He further adds, “A sports field and a stage are very similar. In both, you are thrown into an arena where you have to perform, deliver, and rise to the occasion. That mindset stayed with me. Dance became my new field, my new match, my new challenge.”

He stresses on how it was sports that helped him become the performer that he is. “Sport resurrected me as a performer. It gave me confidence, resilience, and the hunger to keep pushing myself. That is why movement, for me, has always been more than choreography- it is about energy, instinct, and emotional release.”

On 25 years in Bollywood as a choreographer

Bosco Martis has long been a part of Bollywood. In fact, he completes 25 years in the industry this year. Martis tells us that his journey has begun much before that, when he was just a background dancer. And during the interview, he tells us that he still feels the same jitters and excitement before any new choreography.

“When I look back at these 25 years, I genuinely don’t understand where the time flew. I still feel like a newcomer. Every time I step onto a set, it feels like my first song all over again. That pressure, that nervousness, that excitement, it never leaves you. And honestly, that’s what keeps me alive creatively.”

For Bosco, that sense of newness is what fuels growth. “Every project challenges me to become better. There’s so much money involved, so much trust from producers and stars, that you carry a deep sense of responsibility. Actors depend on you to make them look good, to elevate their performance. That ownership pushes me to give my best, every single time.,” he says.

Despite decades of success and countless chartbusters, Bosco resists the idea of chasing trends. “I don’t put pressure on myself to reinvent. When a song comes to me, I just think about what I can do differently. Maybe I repeat myself, maybe I don’t. I leave that to the audience. My job is to create a new visual language every time.”

That philosophy has resulted in numbers that continue to dominate pop culture, from Tauba Tauba and Bhool Bhulaiyaa to Jai Jai Shiv Shankar and Jhoome Jo Pathaan.

“As choreographers, we’ve spent 25 years, but as dancers, it’s been 35. That hunger to do more, to explore more, never really goes,” he quips.