India’s Best Dancer is one of the most ambitious and most celebrated dance reality shows in the history of Indian television — a Sony Entertainment Television production that set out to find the country’s finest solo dancing talent from across every state, every dance form, and every background. Produced by Frames Production, the show distinguished itself from the crowded field of dance reality competition by focusing exclusively on individual dancers rather than team performances, and by demanding a level of solo artistry and innovation that judges — among the most credible in Indian dance — assessed with rigorous technical and artistic standards.
Season 1 had the additional challenge of launching in 2020 — a year when the global COVID-19 pandemic forced unprecedented disruptions to television production schedules, audience interactions, and the cultural milieu of entertainment in India. Despite these extraordinary challenges, India’s Best Dancer Season 1 went on to become one of the year’s most warmly received reality television achievements — discovering and celebrating dance talent that resonated deeply with audiences across India.
Overview Table — India’s Best Dancer Season 1
| Detail | Information |
| Season | Season 1 |
| Year | 2020 |
| Channel | Sony Entertainment Television |
| Hosts | Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa |
| Judges | Malaika Arora, Geeta Kapoor, Terence Lewis |
| Winner | Tiger Pop (Ajay Singh) |
| Runner-Up | Mukul Gain |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Subhranil Paul |
| Premiere Date | 29 February 2020 |
| Grand Finale | 22 November 2020 |
| Prize Money | ₹15 Lakhs + Vitara Brezza Car |
About India’s Best Dancer Season 1
India’s Best Dancer Season 1 premiered on 29 February 2020 on Sony Entertainment Television — a launch that coincided with the weeks just before India’s COVID-19 lockdown dramatically altered every aspect of daily life. The show’s shooting was halted when India went into lockdown, creating an unprecedented production gap before the team resumed filming on 13 July 2020 with new safety protocols and broadcast resuming on 18 July 2020.
Despite the disruption, Season 1 ran a compelling race through to its grand finale on 22 November 2020 — more than eight months after its premiere, making it one of the longest single-season runs in Indian dance reality television. The extended journey gave audiences extraordinary time to bond with contestants, follow their growth trajectories, and develop the deep familiarity with each dancer’s individual style and personality that drives the passionate voting engagement that ultimately decided the champion.
The show aired every Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 PM — becoming a weekly weekend fixture for millions of Indian families who discovered the extraordinary variety of dance forms, regional traditions, and personal stories that India’s diverse geography and cultural landscape produce in its aspiring dance talent.
Hosts — Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa
India’s Best Dancer Season 1 was hosted by the beloved comedy couple Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa — a hosting choice that brought warmth, humour, and genuine emotional engagement to a show that already had the dance performances delivering technical artistry. Bharti’s infectious laughter and natural warmth in contestant interactions, combined with Haarsh’s sharp comedic writing sensibility, created a hosting atmosphere that made the show feel genuinely welcoming and celebratory rather than intimidatingly competitive.
Their chemistry — both the professional comedy partnership and the personal warmth of a married couple working together — gave Season 1 a distinctive emotional texture that complemented the judges’ technical authority. During one of India’s most emotionally difficult years, their hosting created genuine lightness and joy around performances that audiences desperately needed.
Judges
Malaika Arora — Bollywood actress, model, and celebrated dance enthusiast who brought glamour, Bollywood perspective, and genuine passion for dance to her judging role. Malaika’s comments consistently focused on the emotional impact and entertainment value of performances — balancing technical feedback with an audience perspective that contestants valued deeply. Note: Nora Fatehi replaced Malaika Arora as a judge for some episodes when Arora was unable to join shoots during Season 1.
Geeta Kapoor — One of India’s most respected and most experienced professional choreographers, known for her rigorous technical standards and genuine investment in each contestant’s development. Geeta’s choreography credentials span decades of Bollywood productions and dance reality show involvement — her feedback combined technical precision with genuine personal warmth that became one of the show’s most beloved recurring characteristics.
Terence Lewis — India’s leading contemporary dance choreographer, educator, and television personality who has judged dance reality shows for two decades. Terence’s technical depth in contemporary, jazz, and international dance forms gave the Season 1 judging panel its most classically trained and technically specific voice — his assessments of body alignment, musicality, and contemporary technique offered contestants and audiences expert perspective that general celebrity judges cannot deliver.
Winner — Tiger Pop (Ajay Singh)
Ajay Singh — known throughout the competition by his stage name Tiger Pop — was the first-ever winner of India’s Best Dancer, claiming the championship trophy, ₹15 lakhs prize money, and a Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza car in the grand finale on 22 November 2020. His victory was celebrated by audiences who had followed his extraordinary journey through the season with growing appreciation for his unique dance style.
Tiger Pop’s signature form was animation, freestyle robotic dancing — a highly specialised and technically demanding style requiring extraordinary body isolation, robotic movement control, and the unique ability to make the human body appear to move in mechanical, digital, and inhuman ways that audiences find simultaneously mesmerising and jaw-dropping. This style gave him an instantly recognisable visual identity that no other Season 1 contestant could replicate — and made each of his performances a genuinely unique and repeatedly surprising experience.
His emotional journey through the season — performed against the backdrop of India’s most challenging year in recent memory — resonated deeply with audiences who found in his dancing a metaphor for resilience, persistence, and the refusal to be limited by circumstances. The Tiger Pop championship established India’s Best Dancer as a show capable of discovering and celebrating genuinely original talent rather than rewarding the most commercially familiar dance styles.
Runner-Up — Mukul Gain
Mukul Gain, the first runner-up of India’s Best Dancer Season 1, brought remarkable versatility and technical sophistication to a competition where specialisation was the dominant competitive strategy. His ability to move convincingly across multiple dance genres — from classical forms to contemporary styles — made him one of the season’s most complete and most consistently impressive dancers.
His runner-up finish reflected the closeness of the vote between him and Tiger Pop in the final rounds — a genuine competitive decision between two very different but equally compelling dance identities that audiences had grown deeply attached to across the season’s extended run.
Season 1 Contestants — Complete List
India’s Best Dancer Season 1 featured 12 top contestants selected through nationwide auditions:
- Tiger Pop (Ajay Singh) — Winner. Animation, freestyle robotic dancer.
- Mukul Gain — First Runner-Up. Versatile dancer with strong technical foundation.
- Subhranil Paul — Second Runner-Up. Dancer who later became a choreographer in subsequent IBD seasons.
- Paramdeep Singh — 4th Position. Contestant who later appeared as choreographer in Season 3.
- Swetha Warrier — 5th Position. Contestant who later appeared as choreographer in Season 3.
- Sadhwi Majumdar — Contestant who later appeared as choreographer in Season 2.
- Himanshi Gurheriya — Talented contestant from the Season 1 lineup.
- Raj Sharma — Contestant from Season 1’s top 12.
- Mahammad Akib — Dancer known for his distinctive style in the competition.
- Sonal Vichare — Contestant from Season 1’s top 12 selection.
- Rutuja Junnarkar — Dancer selected through the nationwide audition process.
- Adnan Ahmed Khan — Contestant from Season 1’s diverse talent lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Who won India’s Best Dancer Season 1?
A: Tiger Pop (Ajay Singh), a freestyle robotic and animation dancer, won India’s Best Dancer Season 1 and claimed the trophy, ₹15 lakhs prize money, and a Vitara Brezza car.
Q: Who hosted India’s Best Dancer Season 1?
A: The comedy couple Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa hosted Season 1 together.
Q: Who were the judges of India’s Best Dancer Season 1?
A: Malaika Arora, Geeta Kapoor, and Terence Lewis were the three judges of Season 1. Nora Fatehi temporarily replaced Malaika for some episodes.
Q: Why was India’s Best Dancer Season 1 so long?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic and India’s lockdown halted production from March to July 2020, extending the season from its February 2020 premiere to November 2020 finale.
Q: What dance style made Tiger Pop famous?
A: Tiger Pop specialised in animation and freestyle robotic dancing — a uniquely precise and visually stunning style that made him instantly recognisable and beloved by audiences throughout the season.
