When Saroj Khan and Nadeem clashed over Raja song ‘Ankhiyan Milaoon Kabhi': ‘Aapka kaam hai gana shoot karna, gana select kabse karne lagi aap?'
Legendary choreographer Saroj Khan is fondly remembered for the timeless songs she helped bring to life through her masterful choreography. Among the many iconic tracks she's associated with, one standout is 'Ankhiyan Milaoon Kabhi' from the 1995 film Raja, directed by Indra Kumar. The song remains a favourite at weddings and festive functions even today. However, not many know that Saroj initially disliked the song when she first heard it.
In a recent interview on The Ashok Pandit Show, lyricist Sameer, who penned the song, revealed that the choreographer had a strong reaction upon hearing the track at the music studio. He recalled, 'Gana record ho raha tha Sunny Sound mein, Saroj ji aaye gana sunne, aur unhone bola ki Nadeem kya banaya hai tumne, ek hi instrument chal raha hai poore time, main iss mein kya shoot karungi (The song was being recorded at Sunny Sound. Saroj ji came to listen to it and said, 'Nadeem, what have you made? It's just one instrument playing throughout. What am I supposed to shoot for this?')'
At the time, composer Nadeem of the iconic duo Nadeem-Shravan, was at the peak of his career. Sameer continued, 'Aur Nadeem toh uss waqt shabab par tha toh uss ne bola ki Saroj ji aapka kaam kya hai – gana shoot karna, dance karna… gana select kabse karne lagi aap? Nadeem ne bola ki Saroj ji gana toh yahi rahega chahe aap rahengi ya hum rahenge, magar gana yahi rahega (And Nadeem, who was at the height of his success, responded, 'Saroj ji, your job is to choreograph and shoot the song… since when did you start selecting songs? This song will remain, whether you or I are here or not, but the song will stay as it is.')'
The confrontation didn't end there. Sameer added, 'Ye sunne ke baad Saroj ji neeche utari gane dete huye Nadeem ko ki ye samajhta kya hai aapne aap ko. Aur unhone bola ki chal tu bhej gana tujhe batati hoon (After hearing that, Saroj ji stormed downstairs, cursing Nadeem, saying, 'Who does he think he is?' And she said, 'Fine, send the song to me – I'll show you what I can do.')'
Eventually, Saroj Khan turned the very track she initially rejected into a visual masterpiece. Sameer recounted, 'Gana gaya bhaiya poora mix hokar aur phir Madhuri aayi, Sanjay Kapoor aaya, aur aisa shoot kiya unhone ki kya bataun (Once the song was fully mixed, Madhuri came, Sanjay Kapoor came, and the way they shot it – what can I even say, it was phenomenal).'
Also Read | Mandira Bedi says shooting for DDLJ song 'traumatised' her; Saroj Khan scolded her for 'dancing like Sunny Deol': 'Have seen the film only once'
Known as a tough taskmaster in the industry, Saroj Khan was famously precise about her vision. Her high standards and intensity have reportedly left many actors intimidated, including legendary performers like Rekha.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘Shweta Tiwari developed an attitude when she became successful, stopped treating me like a person': Ex-husband Raja Chaudhary felt like ‘background dancer'
Shweta Tiwari got married to Raja Chaudhary when she was just 19, however, a few years later, the marriage ended in very bad circumstances as Shweta accused Raja of domestic violence and infidelity. Soon after they got married, Shweta and Raja welcomed their daughter, Palak, who is now an actor. In a new interview, Raja shared that they got married within two months of meeting each other, and their relationship started falling apart after she became successful as a TV actor. In a chat with Hindi Rush, Raja said that they met at a shoot and started dating soon after. 'We dated only for 2-3 months, then we got married. She said that she was 19 but I always felt she was older, maybe 20-21. I was also 24-25 years old at the time. We got married in a rush. And then, shortly afterwards, our daughter was born. And soon after our daughter was born, she started getting those Ekta Kapoor serials,' he said. Raja said that they broke up a few years later, but the cracks in the marriage started appearing very early on. 'We broke up some 6-7 years later and all this while, she would be on set and I would be at home, taking care of the daughter and taking care of the house,' he said and added, 'Awara dost bhi bana raha hu, usme kya hai? Gharwale kehte hain jo log sharab peete hain voh log awara hote hain. Toh kuch aise sharabi log maine dost bana liye. (I started making friends with jobless people, what's wrong with that? Family members say that people who drink a lot are useless. So I made friends with such jobless people).' ALSO READ | Shefali Jariwala Death Live Updates: Shefali's final journey begins, ambulance leaves Cooper Hospital for funeral; ex-husband's brother pens emotional note Raja recalled that their family members were not in favour of their marriage. 'My family said, 'wait, let us see what's up' but I didn't listen to them. I said I will get married the next day. It was a mutual decision. Even her family members said, 'don't get married' but she snuck out of the house with her brother and came to the court to get married,' he said. Shweta became a household name after her show Kasautii Zindagi Kay became a hit, and as per Raja, this created a bigger wedge between the two. 'Life changed after her show became a huge hit. Then she started charging money by the hour. We were not struggling anymore. It felt like we are doing it together. It was later that I realised that she was doing it all by herself. I felt like I was a background dancer. There was too much attitude in her when she became successful, she stopped treating me like a person,' he said. Shweta and Raja were married from 1998-2007.
India.com
7 hours ago
- India.com
This 30-year-old song created a huge fight between legendary choreographer Saroj Khan and Music director Nadeem, later became a blockbuster, the song is…
This 30-year-old song created a huge fight between legendary choreographer Saroj Khan and Music director Nadeem, later became a blockbuster, the song is... In the ever-evolving world of Bollywood, many songs come and go, and some become overnight sensations, while others fade out quickly. One such story is of a song that came in the year 1995 but continues to resonate with the audience even today, and remains etched in the hearts of the public. The song that we are talking about is none other than 'Akhiyan Milaoon Kabhi Akhiyan Churaoon'. This song was featured in the film Raja, which starred Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Kapoor. But besides the major blockbuster that it became, the behind-the-scenes was filled with chaos, conflict, and a last-minute change. The film was recorded at Sunny Sound studio, and it was choreographed by legendary Saroj Khan. However, Saroj Khan didn't like the song when she first heard it. According to reports, she asked the music director, Nadeem, how he could come up with such a composition. She found it repetitive and monotonous; she refused to choreograph the number, saying, 'What should I even shoot on this?' This further led to a conflict between Saroj Khan and Nadeem. Nadeem was strong-headed about his composition, 'The song will remain as it is. Whether you stay or leave, this is the final version.' This made Saroj Khan really angry and she questioned Nadeem what he thought of himself. The situation got further exaggerated, and later, in an interview, the writer Sameer revealed that Nadeem was under the influence at the time and that Saroj was only doing her job of ensuring the choreography fit the vision of the song. However, what's interesting is that Saroj Khan eventually came around and said, 'Send the dancers. I'll show you what to do with this song'. The song that she rejected in a jiffy soon turned out to be a stunning choreographic masterpiece. The song featured Madhuri Dixit's graceful and sizzling dance moves with Sanjay Kapoor's high energy. This 5-minute 34-second song turned out to create a magic that remains untouched even today. Not only did this song become a blockbuster, but the iconic song also contributed significantly to the success of the film 'Raja'. Made on a humble budget of Rs. 4.25 crore, the film collected Rs. 34.68 crores globally. The iconic classic remains timeless and is on people's party playlists even today.
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Amrish Puri lost his memory after shooting under a waterfall for an Ajay Devgn film: ‘Kaun hu main, kya kar raha hu?'
Every Kajol fan must have come across her famous behind-the-scenes story of temporarily losing her memory on the sets of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. But, did you know late actor Amrish Puri also went through a similar experience? Amrish Puri was shooting with Kajol's husband, actor Ajay Devgn, when he had a short-term memory loss. He lost his memory for at least three hours, creating a panic on the set. While recounting her experience on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kajol said in an interview with Mashable India that her on-screen dad from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) went through a similar experience. 'Amrish ji ki bhi yaadash gayi thi (Amrish Puri too lost his memory),' said the actress. She explained, 'He was shooting for a film with Ajay (Devgn) and he had to give a shot from under a waterfall. And one can only imagine the kind of force a waterfall has… Ajay told me there was no padding on his head so when he came out of the waterfall, he couldn't remember a thing.' ALSO READ | Shefali Jariwala once posed competition to Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, but secret illness stalled career: 'Suffered epilepsy since 15' 'He was all like, 'Kaun hu mai? Kya kar raha hu (Who am I? What am I doing)?' They were all so worried about him (on set). He also took about three hours and eventually regained his memory.' Kajol said that the story might sound funny, but it was very serious. Amrish Puri and Ajay Devgn have collaborated for several films including Taarzan: The Wonder Car, Phool Aur Kaante, Hulchula and Gair, among others. In the same interview, Kajol shared that Amrish Puri had a fondness for her husband Ajay Devgn after they collaborated on multiple films together. 'He loved Ajay', told Kajol. Amrish Puri died in 2005 at the age of 72 after suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare kind of blood cancer. He also underwent a brain surgery as part of his treatment just days before his death.
