Sonam Khan Denies 40-Year Rumour About Getting Tridev Song ‘Oye Oye’ Due To Rajiv Rai

Sonam Khan, who became an overnight sensation with the chartbuster “Oye Oye” from Rajiv Rai’s 1989 action thriller Tridev, has addressed a long-standing rumour about how she landed the iconic song. The actress recently took to Instagram to clarify that she did not get the song because she was romantically involved with the film’s director Rajiv Rai, who later became her husband.

Sonam, who featured in the song opposite Naseeruddin Shah, said that she and Rajiv were not dating when Tridev was being made or even when the film released. In fact, she claimed that both of them were in separate relationships at the time.

Sonam Khan Says She Was Not Having An Affair With Tridev Director Rajiv Rai

Sharing a clip from “Oye Oye” on Instagram, Sonam directly

addressed the speculation around her casting in the song. She wrote, “I was not having an affair with my Tridev director.”

The actress shut down rumours that her alleged relationship with Rajiv Rai helped her gain “more leverage than the other two leading ladies” in the film, Madhuri Dixit and Sangeeta Bijlani, who were already more established names at the time.

Sonam added, “Plot twist: Rajiv was on set with his girlfriend. I had a boyfriend parked not far away from the set either. We were both very taken people.”

She further claimed that the song simply came her way without any behind-the-scenes favouritism. According to Sonam, “Oye Oye” “just fell into my lap.”

Sonam Khan Says Rajiv Rai Did Not Want To Cast Her Initially

Sonam also revealed that Rajiv Rai did not initially want her in Tridev. The actress claimed that he had almost finalised another female actor for the role because he was not convinced after watching her in the rushes of Yash Chopra’s 1988 film Vijay, which marked her debut.

“In fact, I was the last choice when he was left with no choice,” Sonam wrote.

She added that there were no secret calls, no romance and no special privilege involved in her getting the song or the film. “So, no romance, no secret phone calls, no so-called director privilege, if that even exists. I don’t know, sorry for sounding naïve or delulu. Just me, a catchy song,” she wrote.

Her post quickly caught attention online, with actor Delnaaz Irani reacting to it with applause emojis. Sonam responded to her comment with a red heart emoji.

Sonam Khan Says She Started Dating Rajiv Rai Much After Tridev Released

Sonam clarified that her relationship with Rajiv Rai began much later, after Tridev had already released. She said that by then, both of them were single and owed no explanations to anyone.

“It was much after Tridev released that Rajiv and I actually started dating, as we both were single and owed no one any explanations. So, my dearies, I got zero preference in the making of Tridev, Zero, zilch, nada,” she wrote.

Her clarification comes nearly four decades after “Oye Oye” became one of the most memorable songs of the late 1980s. The track remains closely associated with Sonam’s screen image and is still remembered as one of the biggest highlights of Tridev.

Sonam Khan And Rajiv Rai’s Marriage

Sonam Khan was only 19 when she married Rajiv Rai in 1991. The filmmaker later directed her in the 1992 action thriller Vishwatma, where she was again paired opposite Naseeruddin Shah after the success of Tridev.

Sonam continued acting for a few more years before stepping away from films. She later became a mother to a son, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age. The actress gradually left the film industry and shifted her focus to her family.

Sonam and Rajiv later moved to Los Angeles, London and other parts of Europe to seek treatment for their son. The couple separated in 2001, but their divorce was finalised only in 2016, nearly 15 years after they had parted ways.

Sonam has now returned to India and lives in Mumbai with her son. Her latest Instagram clarification has once again brought attention to her career, her brief but memorable screen presence and the persistent rumours that followed her association with Tridev and Rajiv Rai.