(Left) Sushil Kumar and Madhuri Dixit

Kaun Banega Crorepati V (KBC V) winner Sushil Kumar is living a dream thousands of people would die for.

The simple youth from Motihari, who earned applause and crores from Amitabh Bachchan last year, is shaking a leg with none other that dhak-dhak girl Madhuri Dixit on the stage of a TV dance show.

The 29-year-old himself cannot believe his luck. “The more I think, the more I get confused because things at present are unbelievable. I still find it difficult to accept that I have really danced with an eminent artiste like Madhuri Dixit. She has been one of my favourite actresses. I never dreamt I would be a part of showbiz,” said Sushil, who is presently in Mumbai to take part in the programme.

Madhuri introduced Sushil on the show as the common man who became the superstar of the masses. For Sushil, however, all the contestants on the show are superstars he would perhaps have never been able to meet had he not won the big prize on KBC V.

“I hadn’t even dreamt of seeing celebrities like Karan Johar, Talat Aziz, Ravi Kissen, Isha Sharvani and Sanath Jayasuriya. Today, I am working with them in this maya nagari (tinsel town),” said Sushil, who has no experience of dancing. “I was both nervous and confused when I received an invitation from Colors for Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, as I don’t know dancing at all,” he said.

Sushil was initially reluctant to join the show. “I was encouraged by my family members to avail the opportunity,” he said, adding that his wife is staying with him in Mumbai to encourage him to do well in the show.

The encouragement alone has not done the trick for the KBC champ though. “In the beginning, I refused to work as I failed to copy the steps of my choreographer Alisha Singh. Talatji came to my rescue and encouraged me by saying ‘when a man in his mid 50s can make the effort, why can’t you’,” Sushil said.

The Motihari man has gained unexpected popularity in the past one year. Amid all this glamour and show, however, Sushil has deviated from his original plan — to crack Union Public Service Commission exam and become an IAS officer.

Asked about his earlier target, Sushil paused for a while and then said: “I still remember the goal of my life to become an IAS officer but destiny has its own course which no one can determine.”