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India
New Delhi: From being a non-dancer to winning one of the biggest dance reality shows on TV, singer-actor Meiyang Chang says taking up `Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4` was a "huge challenge".
The 28-year-old and his partner choreographer Marischa took home the winner`s trophy and Rs 25 lakhs each at Tuesday night`s finale on Sony, beating TV actor Sushant Singh Rajput and item-girl Yana Gupta.
Chang, who has been a contestant on `Indian Idol` earlier and has anchored a number of reality shows, said it took him some time to realise that he is actually the winner.
"I have seen that winning moment in so many reality shows now that I did not feel anything at first, I thought I was in a dream. It is only later on, when people started calling me up to congratulate, did the feeling sink in that I have actually won."
"It is pretty surreal, I am glad that our hard work has paid off," added Chang, a qualified dentist whose forefathers come from the Hubei province in China.
So convinced was he that dancing was not his cup of tea that when Sony first offered him the show Chang promptly said "no".
"When the offer came, I said I am ready to anchor the show but not be a contestant. But they tried to convince me saying that the show is basically about non-dancers, and two days later I said yes."
Chang said the journey on the show, over the past three months has been a gruelling one, but the victory in the end makes up for the hardships.
"I was very depressed after the first round as we were not doing so well. My partner encouraged me, we pushed ourselves harder to perform better. The victory in the end makes up for the sleepless nights and the hard work we put in," he said.
Chang, who forayed into acting last year with `Badmaash Company`, doesn`t think that his newly acquired skill can give him an extra edge in Bollywood.
"I wanted to learn dancing for myself, not to use it commercially. I don`t think it will make any difference to my acting career, unless I`m offered a movie about dance."
A qualified dentist, singer, anchor, actor and now a dancer. Which is the next skill Chang would like to acquire?.
"My friends tell me I should learn to play a musical instrument, so I am seriously thinking off taking up guitar lessons," said Chang.
