With their mind-blowing flips and amazing moves, V.Unbeatable have been making waves at America’s Got Talent. MUSKAN BAKSHI brings you their rise from a Mumbai slum to sunny California in the US

Where there is a will there is a way sits pretty on this hip-hop dance crew from the Mumbai slums. They are leaving no stone unturned to prove that no dream is small. Standing true to their name — V.Unbeatable — a 35-member dance group is making waves with their mind-blowing talent — flips — are their signature moves.

After showcasing their skills on Dance Plus 4, they wanted to make it big and headed towards a global stage — America’s Got Talent. Om Prakash, the leader of the group tells you that dancing was on his cards since he can remember.

“I was passionate about dancing since childhood. Back then, I had no facilities to join a dance class. I couldn’t afford to be a dancer due to the financial conditions. I went to Mumbai to look for a job. I came in contact people who were dancers and we became friends. Vikas was one of them. I told the group I loved dancing and asked if we could form a group. That is how Vikas came up with the group and named it Unbeatable. This was in 2012,” he recounts.

As a group they participated in a lot of events. They auditioned for several shows but to no anvil. It was Vikas’ dream to be famous on a reality show.

“Vikas always wanted to take the group to new heights. His aim was to get recognition for the group. It was never about him but the group. On an unfortunate day while we were rehearsing, Vikas got hurt badly. We rushed him to the hospital. He was hospitalised for one month but he never recovered and he passed away,” Prakash tells you.

After Vikas’ death, the group broke. No parent wanted to send their child to be a part of the group after the Vikas’ demise. Even, Prakash was scared.

“Vikas was the only child. When I met his parents they wanted only one thing. That Vikas’ dream is fulfilled. That was when I decided to rebuild the group. Two-three people supported me and it encouraged me. I took school-going children in the group and taught them dancing. That’s how the group was reformed. I named it V.Unbeatable — V stands for Vikas and unbeatable because he gave this name,” Prakash tells you.

But it didn’t come easy to them. They had to face a lot of challenges. But, that’s what life is about. To rise inspite of all the challenges.

“Initially, we didn’t have the space to rehearse. We kept searching until we saw some people practicing in a park. They were like us — no space for rehearsing. It clicked; I knew that we had found what we were searching for. Then there were my financial problems. I was working in a shop and the salary was not high. I had to pay rent and look after the newly formed group. There was nothing left,” he recalls and says that his work timings were tough too and left them to practice only from 6 pm to 11 pm.

Between practice sessions the group would audition for reality shows but they never lost hope. Interestingly, they were rejected by three seasons of Dance Plus  before Season 4 shot them to fame.

“Things changed for us after Dance Plus. It gave us the much needed exposure. Our performances got much appreciation from the judges. It boosted our confidence. We qualified for top four but didn’t win. But it was not the end for us. We then received an email invite to be a part of America’s Got Talent (AGT). We didn’t have the money to travel. The AGT team supported us and arranged the tickets. They took care of the visa as well,” he tells you.

The group put the right step forward in the US as well. Their performance was highly appreciated by the judges. More so after their performance on the song Malhari from Bajirao Mastani that got them a standing ovation from the judges. The high point for the group was when Jennifer Lopez gifted her shoe — a symbol of respect and love in the dancing world. All the dancers wait for this symbol of appreciation.

Their journey has been fraught with highs and lows. But, nothing stopped these young go-getters from earning the love of the audience not only in India but abroad too. Who knows what more new heights they will scale. We can hope they continue to represent the country on bigger platforms and bring accolades.

AGT S1 will be aired on Colors Infinity from July 18, 2019 Monday to Friday at 9 pm.