All of us who have watched ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ in our lives would have had one looming question running through our mind while swaying to its super catchy beats. The question being: How did Shah Rukh Khan, Malaika Arora and the others really dance that effortlessly on a moving train? While they would have a lot of shots and retakes, it still is not an easy feat. Most of us can hardly sit straight on a moving train!
Malaika recently filled in for best friend Kareena Kapoor Khan in an episode of Dance India Dance as a guest judge. She got nostalgic when one of the teams performed to her song – Chaiyya Chaiyya. Talking about how they made it possible for her to dance atop the train, Malaika revealed that she had to be tied to a rope while performing and that she sustained an injury around her hip because of it.
Malaika shared:
I fell several times while shooting for the song. I used to sway right and left due to the wind and to avoid that, the team tied a rope through my ghagra to my waist and then to the train so that it would help me balance my body and sync it with the moving train. Unfortunately, when I removed the rope, I had cuts near my waist and it started bleeding, leaving everyone worried and paranoid.
Ouch, that sounds painful! So now we know, that things are not always as glamorous as it looks. Malaika also added about how the crew of the film were so concerned and supportive of her throughout her shoot.
We certainly do love her in the song, and now we have an added respect for what she went through to give the performance that she gave. More power to you, Malaika!