Mandira Bedi recalled working on Aditya Chopra's cult classic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'. She revealed how Saroj Khan compared her dancing with Sunny Deol.
Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s 1995 romantic Bollywood film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) is considered a cult classic. From the acting of the star cast to the melodious beats of the film’s soundtrack, everything has swooned cinephiles since its release. Recently, one of DDLJ’s cast members, Mandira Bedi, recalled a few unheard anecdotes from the sets of the Aditya Chopra-directed film.
During her conversation with Humans of Bombay, Mandira recalled the first four horrifying days of her shoot. She revealed that she started shooting the film with the popular dance song, Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna, which is one of the staple songs in Indian weddings. Mandira said that she isn’t afraid of the camera, but it was tough for her to dance. In her words:
“It was horrifying in the first four days because the first four days was the song. I started with ‘Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna…’ and trust me, I am telling you I am not unconfident in front of the camera, but the only thing I still have nightmares about is choreographed numbers, choreography.”
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Mandira, who played ‘Preeti’ in DDLJ, mentioned that she could not move her hips like the choreographer wanted her to. Thus, the renowned Bollywood choreographer, the late Saroj Khan, compared her dance moves to those of Sunny Deol. Sharing how she just couldn’t move her hips, Mandira added:
“Saroj Khan, an absolute legend, and she’s telling me, ‘You are shaking your shoulders like Sunny Deol. You need to shake your hips, women shake hips’. I couldn’t shake (my) hips for love or for money. I can’t do this.”
In the same conversation, Mandira discussed how it would have been easier for her if they had started the shoot with a few scenes rather than the dance number. She also talked about the orange and purple outfit she wore during the song and said it was an interesting choice. However, she never wore a similar dress before or since shooting the song. Mandira further added that she eventually got a hang of the steps and even shook her hips.
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A conversation on DDLJ can never end without discussing the lead on-screen couple, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Mandira recalled the shoot days and mentioned that SRK was kind and made her feel comfortable. Meanwhile, Kajol didn’t ‘take’ to her for the first few days, but afterward, they all got along really well. Sharing that she will forever remember her experience on the sets of DDLJ, Mandira said:
“It was lovely shooting with Shah Rukh Khan because he just made me feel so comfortable. He is such a natural, he is so kind. Even with my retakes with the song he was very accommodating and very nice. Kajol also, she didn’t take to me the first few days, but eventually, she did, and we all got along really well. It was just a really nice experience, all told, in my 22 days. I look back at it with a lot of gratitude, it’s definitely one for the books.”
Check the interview here.
What do you think of Mandira Bedi’s revelations regarding shooting DDLJ?
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