Malaika Arora, known for her exemplary dance moves, has featured in some of the most popular Bollywood songs. But only a few songs have achieved legendary status. When talking about Malaika ’s iconic song,
we just can’t forget her iconic moves in the song Chaiyya Chaiyya. Malaika delivered one of the most iconic performances of her life, and the track remains a defining moment in her career to date.
Paired with none other than Shah Rukh Khan, the song featured the two dancing atop a moving train, and their performance continues to receive endless love from fans. Now, in a conversation with an entertainment news portal, Malaika opened up about the behind-the-scenes story of shooting the now-legendary song.
Malaika Arora Shares Her Views On Chaiyya Chaiyya
In a recent conversation with Pinkvilla, Malaika revealed that she shot the track without makeup and with an outfit rolled in the mud. Candidly reflecting on her experience, she said, “Chaiyya Chaiyya is something, to date, that gets lots of love, lots of recognition. I am; I am the person, and I am because of that. It has given me so much in life.
Mani Ratnam’s Vision: No Makeup, Mud-Rolled Outfit
Directed by Mani Ratnam, the shoot pushed Malaika out of her comfort zone. She revealed that she originally showed up in full makeup and a pristine lehenga-choli styled by Manish Malhotra, but Mani Ratnam had a very different vision.
“Manish had done my clothes and all that. It was pristine, clean, and chaka chak, you know, like, ‘Get me that lehenga choli,’ and I had done makeup and all, and I was waiting. Mani Sir came and said, ‘Oh ho… Too much makeup – take it out. Not looking nice, please take that out. I was like, ‘Take out matlab pura makeup nikal ke.’ He is like, ‘Just take out everything.’ So I went and washed my face.”
The surprises didn’t stop there. The director also instructed the team to roll the outfit in the mud to give the character a Banjara vibe.
Malaika went on to say, “Then he said, ‘The outfit is looking too clean, it is looking too neat, and I don’t want that. You know you are somebody, you return to show like a banjara. You have to have that. So take the outfit and just put it in the mud. Then just let it look. Just roll it in the mud a couple of times.’ I was like, firstly, I have to remove my makeup, and then I have to wear an outfit which has been rolled in the mud. So yeah, I have to wear that.”
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Everything About Chaiyya Chaiyya
Featured in the 1998 film Dil Se, the iconic track Chaiyya Chaiyya is composed by AR Rahman with lyrics penned by the legendary Gulzar. The timeless masterpiece, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi, was famously filmed on top of a moving train. Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika performed the sequence that remains visually and musically unforgettable.
Even decades later, the song continues to remain etched in the hearts of audiences worldwide, and for Malaika, it’s a track that defined her journey in showbiz.
