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Ahmed Khan Says Saroj Khan Passed Him 'Rangeela' After Not Feeling A.R. Rahman's Music

He tells SCREEN Spotlight that Ram Gopal Varma's decision alongside Rahman's unconventional Hindi score enabled his breakthrough.

Overview

  • Ahmed Khan recounts that Saroj Khan blessed him to choreograph Rangeela, telling him she "wasn't getting the vibe" from A. R. Rahman's music.
  • He says Ram Gopal Varma offered him the job after Saroj Khan’s dates did not align and warned he might turn to a South choreographer if Ahmed declined.
  • Khan describes Rahman’s first Hindi film score as strikingly different for the time and says Varma’s rule‑breaking edit style shaped his approach.
  • Varma urged him to be “full‑blown” and capture “the frenzy of a young boy,” which Khan credits with pushing him toward more experimental choreography.
  • In a separate recollection from the same interview, Khan says Jackie Shroff spun Urmila Matondkar so forcefully during "Hai Rama" that she bruised, noting both actors committed to the sequence.