When Salman Khan's Objection Cost Saroj Khan 10 Days Of Unpaid Work On Ram-Leela

Saroj Khan revealed Ram-Leela song featuring Priyanka Chopra was scrapped after Salman Khan objected to its title resembling Dabangg dialogue. She also claimed she was never paid for 10 days of work.

Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela was written and directed by Bhansali.

Source : Screenshot from YouTube

Show Quick Read

Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Choreographer Saroj Khan went unpaid for ten days' work.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2013 film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is remembered for many things, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's sizzling chemistry, the vibrant Gujarati backdrop, and of course, Priyanka Chopra's showstopping appearance in Ram Chahe Leela. But what most people do not know is that the song Priyanka featured in was never the original plan. Late choreographer Saroj Khan, in an old interview, revealed that a completely different song had been in the works for Priyanka's sequence, one that was scrapped after Salman Khan raised an objection, leaving Saroj unpaid for 10 full days of work.

Salman Khan Asked Bhansali To Drop Song

According to Saroj Khan, the song originally planned for Priyanka Chopra's appearance in Ram-Leela was titled Thappad Se Dar Nahi Lagta, Lagta Hai Pyaar Se. The title, as anyone familiar with Bollywood would instantly recognise, closely mirrors the iconic dialogue from Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha's blockbuster Dabangg. Salman reportedly did not appreciate the line being used in another film, and following his objection, the song was pulled out entirely.

Saroj had spoken about this in an interaction with Talking Cinema, recalling how she had spent 10 days putting together the choreography for the song. She had worked out intricate movements, gestures like fixing a blouse button, tucking a handkerchief at the waist, and the action of drying hair. All of it was recorded before she was suddenly asked to stop rehearsals. "After 10 days of rehearsing for the song, I was told to stop because Salman Khan didn't like the fact that we had taken this line from his film Dabangg," she had said.

Saroj Khan's Unpaid Work, Her Claim Against Bhansali

What made the situation worse for Saroj was what came after. She alleged that she was never paid for the 10 days she had worked on the scrapped song. The makers told her the project was being shelved and promised to bring her back once a new song was composed. Neither the payment came, nor the callback.

"They didn't pay me for those 10 days for which I worked on the song. They didn't even call me back to choreograph the new song and they asked somebody else to choreograph it," Saroj had said. The final song 'Ram Chahe Leela' was choreographed by Vishnu Deva. Saroj further alleged that several of the movements she had originally created were retained in the final version of the song, even though she had no part in it.