“Everyone says I discovered Deepika, but I discovered Malaika first,” explains Farah Khan

Filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan refers to Deepika Padukone as her “first child” and claims that she originally fell in love with Malaika Arora.

“I remember how challenging it is to dance on a moving train; we were all scared, so obviously, the attempt you made here on this moving platform must have been difficult for you too,” judge Malaika said, recalling her own experience of filming on a moving train for the song “Chaiyya chaiyya,” “Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.” You added a very useful feature, which was excellent.

The stories were told on the next edition of the celebrity dance program, when competitors tried something new in the “Pehli Baar” challenge. Renowned for her achievements in the wrestling ring, Sangeeta Phogat makes a lasting impact with her performance on the Bollywood song “Chaiyya Chaiyya,” choreographed by Bharat Ghare.

The song’s original choreographer, Farah Khan, describes how she came onto the stunning Malaika.

“Everyone says I found Deepika, but I found Malaika first,” the woman said. She’s the first kid I have. I phoned Malaika to perform this song two days before to the song’s filming. We had contacted six and seven heroines before her, but nothing had worked out.

We couldn’t decide who should sing this song. At that point, Mickey Contractor informed me about Malaika’s exceptional dancing skills. “Malaika is a model,” I said, wondering how she would do this traditional Indian dance while wearing a ghagra-choli. Thus, two days before, I had summoned her to Ooty, and we had practiced at night before filming during the day.

When Malaika boarded the train for the dancing performance, she was shaking.

“We just forced her to mount the train. She was shaking; there was nothing, absolutely no safety. She wore just kajal and an arm tattoo that Geeta had done; she was completely makeup-free. Shah Rukh was there with her, of course.

Farah said that Malaika was well-cared for by Shah Rukh Khan.

I believe Shah Rukh took excellent care of her, more so than I did. When people used to question us about safety measures, I would simply tell them to bring more dancers. Giggles!”

On Sony Entertainment Television, the program airs.