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The image of Shah Rukh Khan dancing atop a moving train in “Chaiyya Chaiyya” remains one of Indian cinema’s most iconic moments. Set to the pulsating rhythms of AR Rahman and filmed against the backdrop of stunning landscapes, the song has etched itself into the collective memory of audiences across generations. Even today, it continues to resonate, with fans frequently revisiting its electrifying choreography.
In a candid throwback interview with Lehren Retro, choreographer Farah Khan, who, along with filmmaker Mani Ratnam and cinematographer Santosh Sivan, was the creative force behind the song, revealed that despite how daring it looked, “Chaiyya Chaiyya” was surprisingly one of the easiest songs of her career to shoot.
“People often think that Chaiyya Chaiyya would have been very difficult to shoot. But it was actually one of the easiest songs that we have shot. Because we had rehearsed really well beforehand in the studio and once we got on the train and we got on the rhythm of it, there was no problem at all,” she shared.
Farah Khan also spoke warmly about her long-time collaborator and friend, Shah Rukh Khan, calling him her favourite performer, especially when it comes to romantic songs. “My favourite performer is Shah Rukh. Not only because I’m so comfortable with him but also because he inspires me to do better work. In love songs, of course, nobody can beat him. You know, if you see Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and see ‘Suraj Hua Maddham’, I mean nobody could have pulled it with so much intensity as Shah Rukh did. He is totally mad and great fun to work with,” she said.
Their bond, both personal and professional, goes way back. Farah reminisced about their early days in the industry when they were both just starting out. For Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, directed by Kundan Shah, Farah was working with almost no resources — and Shah Rukh, still far from being a star, stepped in to help her with choreography.
“Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa was Shah Rukh’s first film and it was a very small art film with no budget. But the songs came straight from the heart. Even now when you see the songs, they are all so sweet and you can see we had no budget, no dancers, and I didn’t even have an assistant — Shah Rukh used to assist me. But there was so much fun going on in the songs,” she recalled.
In earlier interviews, Farah Khan had also revealed a fun bit of trivia, that she was paid more than Shah Rukh Khan for Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, as he wasn’t a star back then.
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