Salman Khan laid down in hot desert, asked people to throw hot sand on him: cinematographer Anil Mehta recalls Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Veteran cinematographer Anil Mehta, who collaborated with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, revealed how Salman Khan's spontaneity inspired an iconic scene in the film's song 'Tadap Tadap Ke.'

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | March 27, 2024 07:09 PM IST

2 min read

Salman Khan in a still from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.(Pic: T Series Bollywood/Screengrab)

The release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s second directorial venture, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, established the tone for the grandeur of his sets and filmmaking, which has since become a hallmark of his films. Veteran cinematographer Anil Mehta, who collaborated with Sanjay on his directorial debut Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, shared an intriguing anecdote from the latter.

In an interview with Film Companion, Anil revealed how Salman Khan’s spontaneity inspired an iconic scene in the film’s song ‘Tadap Tadap Ke.’ Recounting the experience of shooting the song in a hot desert, Anil said, “I remember in the desert, Salman just went with the scene. Otherwise, which hero is going to lie down in the hot sand and ask people to put that sand on him. He was doing it himself and that’s also infectious. You are drawing from that energy and then he started doing some random stuff.”

Sharing how Salman’s spontaneity inspired him and set up the mood of the song, Anil said, “So, I took the camera off the tripod and then I was with Salman in that moment. I soaked in from what he was doing and later the camera also points at the sun which was a ‘no, no’ at the time. Today, it is the norm. But, it was the energy of the piece and the performance and then, of course, there was master of drama at work – Sanjay.”

Also read | Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Aaradhya party together as they celebrate Holi with friends. See pictures

Anil Mehta’s exceptional work in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam earned him the National Film Award for Best Cinematography. Later, he contributed to iconic films like Lagaan, Veer Zaara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Rockstar and Highway among others. His most recent project was Bhumi Pednekar’s Thank You for Coming.

From the homepage