Raj Parmar

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Raj Parmar (born 1 November 1981) is a British-Indian Bollywood dancer, choreographer, and TV and radio personality. He is best known for hosting the Urban Masti Show on Sunrise Radio. He started as a trained media professional and built a dancing career with his own troupe, performing at melas across the UK. In 2014 he appeared in Channel 4's Big Ballet. He grew up in Hounslow, West London, and moved to Bradford when he was 10. Through Sunrise Radio he gained early media exposure, trained as a presenter, and later helped run and promote the station. He has interviewed many Bollywood and Lollywood stars and has hosted live events, especially at the Bradford mela. He has choreographed for British Asian music videos and an MTV show, and opened Spice Entertainment, a Bollywood dance academy, in 1999. He also teaches dance workshops at schools, community centres, and arts groups like Kala Sangam. On screen, he acted in Casino Royale and Mischief Night (2006) and in the Indian drama Saraswatichandra (2014). He was a contestant on Deal or No Deal in 2006, winning £1 after turning down £10,000. In 2014 he joined Big Ballet, competing against almost 500 dancers to join an 18-member troupe; he was the only Asian member and one of two men. The show follows his training with Wayne Sleep and his role as the villain Baron von Rothbart in Swan Lake. It aired in the UK, the US, and France.