Mandira Bedi opened up about working with choreographer Saroj Khan in the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and revealed how Saroj compared her to Sunny Deol due to her lack of dancing skills.
Mandira Bedi had already made a name for herself on television with her popular show Shanti before making her acting debut in Aditya Chopra’s magnum opus Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). Though her role in the film was small, it was important. In a recent interaction, Mandira opened up about working with choreographer Saroj Khan in the film and revealed how Saroj compared her to Sunny Deol due to her lack of dancing skills.
Speaking to Zoom, she revealed, “The first thing I was asked to do on the sets of DDLJ was ‘Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna’, and honestly, I had never moved my hips in my life. I was asked to put my hand on my head and move my hips and I told them, ‘I don’t understand this body language.’
Saroj Khan, known for her keen eye and demanding precision, immediately noticed Mandira’s discomfort with the dance steps. Talking about the experience, Mandira said, “Saroj ji told me, ‘You are moving your shoulders like Sunny Deol. You need to move your hips, women move their hips.’ So I was in shock. I don’t know how I recovered from 4 days of that song.”
Mandira also admitted that she was expecting a bigger role in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Talking about this, she said, “I smiled a little too much in the song and blinked my eyes and when I saw the film, I realised that I didn’t have a major role in it. I saw the film only once during the premiere and never saw it after that. It was nice to be a small part of a big film.”
In an earlier conversation with Humans of Bombay, Mandira had elaborated on her experience while shooting for DDLJ. She revealed that she had to give several retakes. While Shah Rukh Khan handled her struggles patiently, Kajol took some time to warm up to him. She said, “It was great shooting with Shah Rukh Khan because he made me feel very comfortable.
He is very easy going, he is very kind. Even during the song retakes he was very friendly and very nice. Kajol too, she couldn’t get along with me for the first few days but eventually she got along and we all got along really well. Overall, it was a really great experience over 22 days. I remember it with a lot of gratitude, it is definitely a memorable experience.”
