Season 5 of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa ran through the summer and early autumn of 2012, bringing together television actors, a Sri Lankan cricket legend, a Kaun Banega Crorepati winner, and a Bollywood dancer for one of the franchise’s more eclectic seasons. Here’s the complete breakdown of how it played out.
Season 5 at a Glance
The season premiered June 16, 2012, and ran for 32 episodes before concluding on September 30, 2012. It was hosted by Manish Paul and Ragini Khanna, with the now-familiar judging trio of Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit, and Karan Johar continuing their run on the panel.
Who Won Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 5?
Actor Gurmeet Choudhary, paired with professional partner Shampa Gopikrishna, was crowned the winner of the season. The pairing had built consistent momentum through the competition, ultimately edging out a strong finalist field to take the title.
Runner-Up and Top Finishers
Actress Rashami Desai, with partner Deepak Singh, finished as runner-up. Actor and dancer Rithvik Dhanjani, paired with Sneha Kapoor, placed third, while dancer Isha Sharvani and partner Salman Yusuff Khan rounded out the top four before withdrawing from the finale stage.
Full Contestant List
Season 5 featured a genuinely varied 16-contestant lineup:
- Gurmeet Choudhary with Shampa Gopikrishna — Winner, September 30, 2012
- Rashami Desai with Deepak Singh — Runner-up, September 30, 2012
- Rithvik Dhanjani with Sneha Kapoor — Third place, September 30, 2012
- Isha Sharvani with Salman Yusuff Khan — Fourth place (withdrew), September 30, 2012
- Bharti Singh with Savio Barnes — Withdrew, September 22, 2012
- Karan Wahi with Mohena Singh — Eliminated, September 15, 2012
- Darsheel Safary with Avneet Kaur — Eliminated, September 1, 2012
- Shibani Dandekar with Punit Pathak — Eliminated, August 25, 2012
- Gia Manek with Nishant Bhat — Eliminated, August 18, 2012
- Ravi Kishan with Kunjan Jani — Eliminated, August 11, 2012
- Sushil Kumar (KBC winner) with Alisha Singh — Eliminated, August 4, 2012
- Jayati Bhatia with Diwakar Nayal — Eliminated, July 28, 2012
- Pratyusha Banerjee with Deepak Singh — Eliminated, July 21, 2012
- Archana Vijaya with Sanam Johar — Eliminated, July 14, 2012
- Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lankan cricketer) with Suchitra Sawant — Eliminated, July 7, 2012
- Talat Aziz (Singer) with Ankita Maithy — Eliminated, June 30, 2012
Judges and What They Brought to the Panel
Remo D’Souza’s choreography background continued to anchor the technical judging, while Madhuri Dixit brought her classical training and Bollywood dance pedigree to the panel. Karan Johar rounded out the trio with his usual candid, entertainment-industry commentary — the same combination that would carry into Seasons 6 and 7.
Hosting Duties
Manish Paul and Ragini Khanna shared hosting duties for the full season, with Khanna herself a former Jhalak contestant from Season 4, giving her hosting turn an added layer of insider credibility with the show’s format and pressures.
Final Thoughts
Season 5 stood out for the sheer range of its contestant pool — from cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya to game-show star Sushil Kumar — proving the format’s flexibility well beyond its usual base of television actors. Gurmeet Choudhary’s win, paired with a genuinely competitive top four, helped keep the momentum going into what would become an increasingly popular back half of the franchise’s run.