- Sonali Bendre admitted she was not a good dancer during her film career in the 1990s and 2000s
- Choreographer Saroj Khan refused to work with Sonali on English Babu Desi Mem due to her dancing skills
- Ahmed Khan, Saroj Khan’s assistant, helped Sonali rehearse and improve her dance for the film
Sonali Bendre carved her niche in Indian cinema in the 1990s and early 2000s. While she gave us hit tracks such as Maiya Yashoda (Hum Saath-Saath Hain) and Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam (Duplicate), she wasn't really a good dancer and often ended up getting nightmares before filming a dance sequence. She recalled a particular incident recently when ace choreographer, the late Saroj Khan, even refused to work with her.
What's Happening
- Sonali Bendre told Variety India, "When I did English Babu Desi Mem, I was aware I didn't know dancing. So, when I heard the story and script, I told Pravin Nischol, 'Okay, I really want to do it, but I don't know how to dance, so what are we going to do?'"
- Speaking of how things turned out when Saroj Khan came on board as a choreographer, the actress revealed, "That was my first time, and Saroj ji said, 'Heroine ko toh naachna bhi nahi aata' (the heroine doesn't even know how to dance), and she stormed out of Satyam Hall, saying, 'Who is this? I can't teach this one.'"
- Furthermore, Sonali Bendre gave credit to Saroj Khan's assistant at that time-Ahmed Khan-who pumped up her spirits.
- She said, "Ahmed Khan would pick me up before I went to the set in the early morning. We would rehearse together. He would bribe me with chocolates and get the work done from me. And then I would go on set, and that's how I started learning what I was supposed to shoot for in English Babu Desi Mem."
Work
Sonali Bendre started her career as a model and soon ventured into films with her 1994 debut Aag opposite Govinda.
She went on to deliver some memorable hits, such as Duplicate (1998), Major Saab (1998), Zakhm (1998), Sarfarosh (1999), Diljale (1996), and the mega hit Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999).
In recent times, Sonali Bendre was last seen in the 2024-released web series The Broken News. She also has a book club and is a host for a podcast titled The Happy Pawdcast, focused on pet parenting and animal welfare.
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