'Why I pulled out of show'

DANCER Vishnu Priya Ramachandran has just returned to the kingdom from India after stepping away from one of the country's leading reality television shows.

The former student at Bahrain's Indian School made her way through to the coveted semi-finals of the hit Vodafone Thakadhimi show.

But instead of waiting to see if she would make it through to the grand final of the contest - after attracting thousands of votes of support - she suddenly walked away from the limelight.

Vishnu Priya, 21, from Hoora, said: "I have no regrets. It was an eventful experience. When I saw that many really good contestants were being voted out I just lost interest in the whole affair and decided it was best to leave in the circumstances."

Vishnu Priya was one of around 1,000 eager dancers who auditioned for the well-known show and was shortlisted to be one of 36 participants.

She came across publicity for the show while on vacation to meet her brother in India and said: "My mother encouraged me to take part as she loves to see me excel on stage."

Currently studying for a degree in business administration, Vishnu Priya had to keep balancing her trips to the TV studios with her study in Bahrain.

As a result she had to make more than a dozen flights back and forth to India for the challenge.

The talented dancer, however, is not a fresh face to the camera.

Prior to her appearance on the show, she appeared in a feature film entitled Speed Track alongside well-known Indian actors Dileep and Yadhu Krishnan.

She has also co-hosted a popular comedy show on the Surya channel.

In Bahrain, Vishnu Priya has appeared in a music video broadcast on the Asianet channel which was directed by her elder brother and movie-enthusiast, Deepu Ramachandran.

He is currently an assistant film director in Kerala and is also a former student of the Indian School in Bahrain.

Although concentrating on a future business career Vishnu Priya has not ruled out more showbiz highlights and admits she would grab the chance if an 'appropriate role' came her way.

She said: "My brother says he is busy preparing the ideal script for me to be cast in ... a promise he gave our mother!"

Vishnu Priya is trained in classical Indian dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi and is a pupil of Bahrain-based Sreedevi Srinivasan.