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Despite having no initial plans to step into the film industry, Shiamak Davar’s life took a significant turn when he became the choreographer for director Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). His work not only transformed his career but also reshaped India’s dance scene, earning him the title of the country’s “guru of contemporary dance”. While Davar’s journey in cinema has been consistently upward since then, he recently revealed that he took on Dil To Pagal Hai solely due to Shah Rukh Khan’s relentless persuasion, despite previously turning down an offer from Yash Chopra to choreograph his son Aditya Chopra’s directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).
“I got into films because Shah Rukh drove me nuts, asking me to do the movie. Earlier, I had said no to Yash uncle (for DDLJ) because I thought I couldn’t do it — it wasn’t my style of work. At that time, I was only thinking of dance classes, developing myself on stage, performing, singing, dancing, acting and doing musical theatre. I had no interest in Bollywood,” he shared during a recent appearance on former news reporter Devna’s talk show.
Mentioning that although he loved cinema and regularly watched both Hindi and English films, Davar said he never imagined working in the industry, as his dance style was heavily influenced by jazz and ballet. Recalling how SRK’s wife Gauri Khan, his former dance student, once invited him over to their home because Shah Rukh wanted to discuss something with him, Davar said, “I wondered what he wanted to talk about. He’s so sweet and an adorable guy, but still. When we met, he told me about this movie they were planning called Dil To Pagal Hai and asked me to join. Though I told him my style wouldn’t work since it was too Western, he refused to accept it and gave me a one-hour lecture. He went on and on and drove me nuts.” A musical romance film starring SRK, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar in the lead roles, Davar also won the National Film Award for Best Choreography in his debut movie.
Reflecting on Shah Rukh’s devotion to his wife, he recalled, “Gauri was my student for many years — she would model and dance alongside me. And Shah Rukh would, so sweetly, wait outside the studio for hours while Gauri attended my classes. He had become famous by then, this was the era of Baazigar. Now he’s a mega-legend, but he was huge at that time as well. Yet, he would come outside and wait for his wife.”
He also shared a lighthearted anecdote about SRK and Gauri’s late pet dog Chewbacca, which was named after a Star Wars character. “Chewbacca used to play and bite everybody.” Praising Shah Rukh’s humility, Davar added, “The bigger he gets, the humbler he becomes. He has always been that way — that’s the Shah Rukh I know.”
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