Overview
- In new SCREEN Spotlight interviews reported Dec. 7–8, Ahmed Khan recounts being elevated from assistant when Ram Gopal Varma asked him to choreograph Rangeela after Saroj Khan’s dates did not align.
- He says Saroj Khan encouraged him to accept, telling him she wasn’t getting the vibe from A. R. Rahman’s music, which he notes was Rahman’s first Hindi film score.
- Khan recalls Varma showing a rule-breaking, non-linear edit of “Tanha Tanha,” which matched his music-video sensibility and influenced how he staged the songs.
- He quotes Varma’s brief to channel a young, fearless energy, adding that Rahman’s different compositions expanded what he felt he could attempt as a choreographer.
- Describing the “Hai Rama” shoot at Mehboob Studio, he says Jackie Shroff’s intense spin left Urmila Matondkar with a bruise, while both stars reassured the 19-year-old choreographer on set.