Season 2 of Dance Plus, carrying the tagline “Get Set Go,” ran on Star Plus from July to September 2016, building toward a finale that pitted two crewmates from the same mentor’s team against each other for the title. Here’s the complete breakdown of how the season played out.
Season 2 at a Glance
The season premiered July 2, 2016, and concluded with its grand finale on September 25, 2016, running 25 episodes. Produced jointly by Varun Trikha Productions, Urban Brew Studios, and Frames Production, it featured 16 contestants competing across three mentor-led teams. Auditions were held across multiple Indian cities between May 3 and May 26, 2016.
Host and Judging Panel
Raghav Juyal returned as host for his second consecutive season, with Remo D’Souza continuing as super judge overseeing the competition. Three mentor-choreographers led their own teams: Dharmesh Yelande, Shakti Mohan, and Punit Pathak — the latter joining as a new addition this season, replacing Sumeet Nagdev from Season 1.
Who Won Dance Plus Season 2?
Fourteen-year-old Tanay Malhara, competing under Team Dharmesh, was crowned the winner. Malhara had already built a following through his earlier run on DID Li’l Masters Season 2, and his Dance Plus victory cemented him as one of the franchise’s most memorable young champions. His win came with a prize package reported at ₹25 lakh, the Dance Plus 2 trophy, and a car.
Runner-Up and Top Finishers
The Wild Ripperz Crew, also from Team Dharmesh, finished as first runner-up — notably making this the second consecutive season Team Dharmesh placed two acts in the finale’s top spots. Piyush Bhagat, from Team Shakti, finished as second runner-up, while Sushant Khatri — who had traveled all the way from Nepal to compete, also from Team Shakti — rounded out the finale as third runner-up.
The Grand Finale
The finale aired the evening of September 25, 2016, drawing genuine star power: Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor appeared to promote Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, while Olympic bronze medalist wrestler Sakshi Malik joined as a special guest. Malik’s appearance included pressing the show’s signature “plus” button, reportedly triggering a rare “double plus” response from Remo D’Souza — a first for the series at that point in its run.
Format Notes
Unlike solo-contestant formats, Dance Plus’s structure allows soloists, duos, and full crews to compete side by side under the same three mentors — a format quirk that let a 14-year-old soloist (Malhara) and a full crew (Wild Ripperz) end up finishing first and second in the same season.
Final Thoughts
Dance Plus 2’s finale delivered a genuinely close, mentor-driven storyline — two of the four finalists coming from Team Dharmesh made for an unusually competitive internal battle, while Sushant Khatri’s journey from Nepal added an extra layer of narrative weight to the night. Nearly a decade on, Tanay Malhara’s win remains one of the clearest examples of the show’s knack for turning very young dancers into breakout stars.