India’s Best Dancer Season 2 returned in late 2021 as one of Indian television’s most eagerly anticipated reality show comebacks — building on the extraordinary success and audience affection generated by the debut season while introducing a fresh host, a new title, and a cast of dancers whose diversity of background, style, and personal story matched and exceeded the beloved Season 1 ensemble. Subtitled Best Ka Next Avatar, Season 2 carried the implicit promise of evolution — of a show that had already set high standards in its debut year now pushing those standards further with a second generation of India’s finest solo dancing talent.
The season produced one of the competition’s most touching and unexpected champion stories — a belly dancer from Pune whose determination to fulfil her mother’s dream carried her through every round of the competition to the ultimate title.
Overview: India’s Best Dancer Season 2
| Detail | Information |
| Season | Season 2 |
| Subtitle | Best Ka Next Avatar |
| Year | 2021–2022 |
| Channel | Sony Entertainment Television |
| Host | Maniesh Paul |
| Judges | Malaika Arora, Geeta Kapoor, Terence Lewis |
| Winner | Saumya Kamble |
| Runner-Up | Gourav Sarwan |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Roza Rana |
| Premiere Date | 16 October 2021 |
| Grand Finale | 9 January 2022 |
| Prize Money | ₹15 Lakhs |
About India’s Best Dancer Season 2
India’s Best Dancer Season 2 premiered on Sony Entertainment Television on 16 October 2021 — arriving as India was gradually recovering from the devastating second COVID-19 wave of mid-2021 and entering a cautious period of social and entertainment normalcy. The show offered audiences a renewed celebration of dance, talent, and human achievement that resonated powerfully with a viewing community that had endured a year of extraordinary difficulty.
The season ran from its October 2021 premiere through to the grand finale on 9 January 2022 — a roughly 12-week competition that maintained exceptional audience engagement throughout. The format retained the successful elements of Season 1 — the 90-second audition structure, the mentor-choreographer partnership model, and the weekly elimination structure — while refining the production with the experience gained from the debut season.
The grand finale held one of Season 2’s most poignant moments — both winner Saumya Kamble and runner-up Gourav Sarwan were unable to attend in person due to illness and participated via video call for the announcement, creating an unexpectedly intimate and emotionally moving conclusion to the season’s competitive journey that no amount of production planning could have scripted.
Host — Maniesh Paul
Season 2 brought a hosting change from Season 1’s beloved Bharti-Haarsh duo to Maniesh Paul — one of Indian television’s most experienced, most versatile, and most high-energy hosts. Maniesh’s hosting credentials span Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, and numerous Bollywood award shows — his comfort with live television’s unpredictability, his genuine warmth with contestants, and his ability to maintain entertainment energy even during technically demanding dance evaluation segments made him an ideal host for India’s most ambitious dance competition.
His rapport with the judging panel — particularly his playful chemistry with Malaika Arora and respectful professional engagement with Geeta Kapoor and Terence Lewis — created a stage dynamic that entertained alongside the performances rather than simply facilitating them. Maniesh’s hosting gave Season 2 a distinctive energy that distinguished it from Season 1 while maintaining the warmth and emotional engagement that the show’s audience expected.
Judges
Malaika Arora — Returned for her second consecutive season as judge, bringing continuity of perspective and deepened contextual understanding from having witnessed Season 1’s complete competitive journey. Her judging in Season 2 showed increased technical specificity alongside her characteristic emotional and entertainment-focused feedback.
Geeta Kapoor — Returned for her second season as the judging panel’s most technically demanding voice — her standards, her encouragement of authentic expression, and her genuine emotional investment in each contestant’s development continued to be among the most appreciated aspects of the show.
Terence Lewis — Returned for Season 2 bringing his contemporary dance expertise and internationally informed technical perspective to bear on a new generation of dancers. His consistent focus on musicality, body alignment, and narrative authenticity in dance performance provided contestants with the most technically specific feedback available from any member of the three-judge panel.
Winner — Saumya Kamble
Saumya Kamble was the deserving and deeply emotional winner of India’s Best Dancer Season 2 — claiming the championship trophy and ₹15 lakhs prize after a competition journey that she explicitly framed as fulfilling her mother’s dream. Her tearful statement — “I never imagined coming this far! I am extremely overwhelmed to be in the Best 5 because in a way, I am fulfilling my mother’s dream by being a part of this show” — resonated with millions of viewers who followed her journey precisely because its emotional authenticity made it impossible not to invest in her success.
Saumya is a belly dancer specialising in hip-hop and contemporary fusion from Pune — a dance identity that combined the technical precision of belly dancing with the expressive freedom of contemporary movement in ways that consistently surprised and delighted the three judges. Her partnership with choreographer Vartika Jha — a former India’s Best Dancer-adjacent talent in her own right — created a collaborative dance relationship that produced performances of consistent excellence.
Saumya’s victory demonstrated that India’s Best Dancer genuinely rewards diverse dance forms rather than defaulting to more commercially familiar Bollywood-adjacent styles — her belly dance background brought a genuine artistic tradition to the competition stage that enriched the show’s cultural representation.
Runner-Up — Gourav Sarwan
Gourav Sarwan, the first runner-up of India’s Best Dancer Season 2, was one of the season’s most technically impressive performers — a popping dance specialist from Jaipur whose precise isolations, musical sensitivity, and consistent competitive performance made him arguably the season’s most complete technical artist. His close competition with Saumya Kamble in the final voting — with both receiving maximum audience support that made the margin genuinely uncertain until the announcement — reflected the authentic quality of his Season 2 journey.
Like Saumya, Gourav was unable to attend the finale in person due to illness — his runner-up announcement received via video call created one of the most unusual and genuinely touching finale moments in Indian dance television.
Season 2 Contestants — Complete List
India’s Best Dancer Season 2 featured 12 celebrity contestants with their choreographers:
- Saumya Kamble — Winner. Belly dancer from Pune with Choreographer Vartika Jha.
- Gourav Sarwan — First Runner-Up. Popping dancer from Jaipur with Choreographer Rupesh Soni.
- Roza Rana — Second Runner-Up. With Choreographer Sanam Johar.
- Raktim Thakuria — Third Runner-Up. With Choreographer Aryan Patra.
- Zamroodh MD — 5th Position. With Choreographer Sonali Kar.
- Rupsa Batabyal — Talented contestant from the Season 2 lineup.
- Shivam Wankhede — Dancer competing in the main competition phase.
- Reva Rathod — Contestant selected through nationwide auditions.
- Noyal Fernandes — Dancer from Season 2’s top 12 selection.
- Akash Thapa — Contestant who competed through the audition rounds.
- Muskan Singh — Dancer from the Season 2 competition lineup.
- Gousiya Kazi — Contestant from the Season 2 nationwide talent search.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Who won India’s Best Dancer Season 2?
A: Saumya Kamble, a belly dancer from Pune, won India’s Best Dancer Season 2 with choreographer Vartika Jha.
Q: Who hosted India’s Best Dancer Season 2?
A: Maniesh Paul hosted Season 2, replacing Season 1 hosts Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa.
Q: Who was the runner-up of India’s Best Dancer Season 2?
A: Gourav Sarwan from Jaipur was the first runner-up. Roza Rana was the second runner-up.
Q: Why did Saumya and Gourav not attend the Season 2 finale in person?
A: Both Saumya Kamble and Gourav Sarwan were unwell on the finale night and participated via video call — a genuinely unexpected and emotionally moving development in an otherwise celebratory finale.
Q: What dance style did Saumya Kamble perform?
A: Saumya specialised in belly dancing fused with hip-hop and contemporary — a unique combination that consistently impressed the judges and generated strong audience support throughout the season.
