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Mandira Bedi says shooting for DDLJ song ‘traumatised’ her; Saroj Khan scolded her for ‘dancing like Sunny Deol’: ‘Have seen the film only once’

Mandira Bedi opened up about working with choreographer Saroj Khan on the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and how her lack of dancing abilities led Saroj to compare her to Sunny Deol.

Mandira Bedi talks about working in DDLJ.

Mandira Bedi had already made a name for herself on television with her iconic show Shanti when she made her acting debut in Aditya Chopra’s legendary film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). Although her role in the film was small, it was pivotal. In a recent interaction, Mandira opened up about working with choreographer Saroj Khan on the film and how her lack of dancing abilities led Saroj to compare her to Sunny Deol.

Speaking to Zoom, she shared, “The first thing that I was asked to do on the DDLJ set was ‘Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna,’ and honestly I hadn’t shaken my hips in my life. I was asked to put my hand on my head and shake my hips and I told her, ‘This body movement I don’t understand.'”

Saroj Khan, known for her sharp eye and demand for precision, quickly noticed Mandira’s discomfort with the dance steps. Talking about the experience, Mandira added, “Saroj ji said to me, ‘You are shaking your shoulders like Sunny Deol. You need to shake your hips, women shake hips.’ So I was traumatised. I don’t know how I got over the 4 days of that song.”

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Also read | Mandira Bedi on bringing up biological son Vir, adoptive daughter Tara: ‘She’s more like me than him, looks like my character from Shanti’

Mandira also admitted that she had expected a bigger role in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Reflecting on the same, she said, “I did some more simpering and blinking of my eyes in the song and when I saw the film, I realised, there isn’t much of me in it. I have seen the film only once during the premiere and never 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 multiple retakes. While Shah Rukh Khan was patient with her struggles, Kajol took a little longer to warm up to her.

She 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.”

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