Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s romantic Bollywood film from 1995, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) is considered a cult classic. From the acting of the star-studded cast to the melodic beats of the film’s soundtrack, everything has thrilled cinephiles since its release. Recently, one of the DDLJMandira Bedi, one of the actresses of “The 40 Fingers”, recalled some unknown anecdotes from the sets of the film directed by Aditya Chopra.
Mandira Bedi remembers her horrific shooting DDLJ‘s song
During her conversation with Humans of Bombay, Mandira recalled the first four horrific days of her shoot. She revealed that she started the shoot with the popular dance song, Continue applying Mehendi, This is one of the main songs at Indian weddings. Mandira said she was not afraid of the camera, but dancing was difficult for her. In her words:
“The first four days were terrible because the first four days were the song. I started with ‘Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna…’ and believe me, I’m telling you, I’m not insecure 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 DDLJmentioned that she could not move her hips the way the choreographer wanted her to. Hence, the famous Bollywood choreographer, the late Saroj Khan, compared her dance steps to that of Sunny Deol. Mandira shared that she just could not move her hips and added:
“Saroj Khan, an absolute legend, and she tells me, ‘You shake your shoulders like Sunny Deol. You have to shake your hips, women shake their hips.’ I couldn’t shake my hips for love or for money. I can’t do that.”
In the same conversation, Mandira spoke about how it would have been easier for her if they had started shooting with a few scenes instead of 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 had never worn a similar dress before or after shooting the song. Mandira also added that she eventually got the steps down and even swayed her hips.
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Mandira Bedi talks about SRK’s kindness on the sets of DDLJ
A conversation about DDLJ can never end without mentioning the lead on-screen couple, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Recalling the shooting days, Mandira mentioned that SRK was nice and made her feel good. Kajol, on the other hand, didn’t like her in the initial days but after that they all got along really well. She shared that she will forever remember her experience on the sets of DDLJMandira said:
“It was wonderful shooting with Shah Rukh Khan because he made me feel so comfortable. He is so natural, he is so nice. Even during my reshoots of the song, he was very accommodating and very nice. Even Kajol didn’t like me for the first few days but eventually she did and we all got on really well. All in all, it was just a really beautiful experience in my 22 days. I look back on it with great gratitude, it is definitely one to write in the history books.”
Watch the interview here.
What do you think about Mandira Bedi’s revelations regarding the shooting? DDLJ?
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