Season 7 of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa brought together one of the show’s most talked-about celebrity lineups, running on Colors TV from June to September 2014. With a mix of TV actors, a cricketer, a singer, and a professional dancer in the contestant pool, the season built toward a competitive four-way finale. Here’s everything worth knowing.
Season 7 at a Glance
The season premiered June 7, 2014, and ran for 31 episodes before wrapping up on September 20, 2014. It was originally hosted by Ranvir Shorey and Drashti Dhami, though Dhami was replaced by Manish Paul around the fourth week. The judging panel featured Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit, and Karan Johar, with Dancing with the Stars choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy appearing as a guest judge during the season.
Who Won Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 7?
Actor Ashish Sharma, known for his role in Colors TV’s Rangrasiya, was crowned the winner alongside professional partner Shampa Gopikrishna. The win came with a cash prize of ₹50 lakh, capping off a season in which Sharma consistently delivered strong scores across the competition.
Runner-Up and Top Finishers
Actor and host Karan Tacker, paired first with Elena Samodanova and later with Bhawna Khanduja, finished as runner-up. Dancer Shakti Mohan — herself a former Dance India Dance Season 2 winner — placed third with partner Tushar Kalia, while actress Mouni Roy and partner Punit Pathak rounded out the top four.
Full Contestant List
Season 7’s cast blended television actors, a cricketer, a singer, and reality show veterans:
- Ashish Sharma with Shampa Gopikrishna — Winner, September 20, 2014
- Karan Tacker with Elena Samodanova/Bhawna Khanduja — Runner-up, September 20, 2014
- Shakti Mohan with Tushar Kalia — Third place, September 20, 2014
- Mouni Roy with Punit Pathak — Fourth place, September 20, 2014
- Akshat Singh (India’s Got Talent star) with Vaishnavi Patil — Eliminated, September 13, 2014
- Sophie Choudry (Actress, VJ, singer) with Deepak Singh — Eliminated, August 30, 2014
- Tara Jean Popowich with Jack — Eliminated, August 23, 2014
- Kiku Sharda with Kruti Mahesh — Eliminated, August 16, 2014
- Malishka Mendonsa with Diwakar — Eliminated, August 9, 2014
- Kushal Punjabi with Mohena — Eliminated, August 2, 2014
- Puja Banerjee with Rajit Dev — Eliminated, July 27, 2014
Other names associated with the season’s early cast announcements included VJ Andy, cricketer S. Sreesanth, actor Purab Kohli, singer Sukhwinder Singh, and actress Kritika Kamra, though not all remained through to the later stages of competition.
Judges and What They Brought to the Panel
Remo D’Souza brought his choreography background and a technical eye that had already made him a fixture across Indian dance reality television. Madhuri Dixit continued as one of the show’s most consistent judging presences, lending both her Bollywood pedigree and dance expertise. Karan Johar rounded out the trio with his characteristically candid, often entertainment-industry-flavored commentary — a combination that had already proven effective in the show’s previous season.
Hosting Duties
Ranvir Shorey opened the season alongside Drashti Dhami, but a hosting change partway through — with Manish Paul stepping in for Dhami — became one of the season’s notable behind-the-scenes shifts, reflecting a pattern of hosting turnover that would continue in later seasons of the franchise.
Final Thoughts
Season 7 stood out for the closeness of its finale — three of the top four finishers came from strong dance or performance backgrounds, with Shakti Mohan and Mouni Roy both bringing serious competition to eventual winner Ashish Sharma. The season’s mix of a cricketer, a singer, and reality show veterans alongside its television actors also reflected the franchise’s growing willingness to cast outside its usual pool of soap opera stars.