‘Sridevi bribed kids on Mr India set with ice cream to learn break dance,’ recalls Ahmed Khan

Filmmaker and choreographer Ahmed Khan began his career as a child artist with small roles in films, including the iconic Mr. India, starring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. In a recent interaction, Ahmed shared his memories of working with Sridevi, recalling how she bribed the kids on set with ice cream to teach her break dance, eventually becoming their friend.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan about his memories of Sridevi from Mr. India, Ahmed said, “Sridevi was reserved, as everyone knows. As a child actor, I observed that she would be reserved off-camera, but once the camera started rolling, she became Seema, her character in the film, and would snap out of it as soon as the director said cut. It was like Michael Jackson, who spoke softly but exploded on stage. We would think, ‘How did she do this?’ She was mahaan (great). Initially, she wasn’t friendly with us, but eventually, she became very friendly.”

Recalling the time Sridevi bribed the kids on the set to teach her break dance, he said, “We were shooting the hospital scene after the bomb blast when a character dies, it was a serious scene. During that shoot, she took us to one of the doctor’s rooms and offered us ice cream. She told us, ‘I’m not giving you this because I like you, you have to teach me break dancing.’ Then we taught her some moves. That’s where our friendship began.”

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Mr. India remains one of the most iconic, original, and well-regarded superhero films in Hindi cinema. Directed by Shekhar Kapur and produced by Boney Kapoor and Surinder Kapoor, it starred Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, and Amrish Puri in the lead roles.