'Shilpa Shetty, Raveena Tandon REJECTED': Farah Khan Reveals How Malaika Arora Was Roped In For Chhaiya Chhaiya With Shah Rukh Khan

Chaiyya Chaiyya from Shah Rukh Khan's Dil Se continues to remain an iconic song even after years. AR Rahman composed it, and Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi sang it. Farah Khan choreographed the song, and Malaika Arora, who was a part of it, gained immense popularity.

At a recent event in Kolkata, Farah revealed how Malaika came on board for Chhaiya Chhaiya. The choreographer said that she had approached many actresses, including Raveena Tandon and Shilpa Shetty; however, everyone rejected the offer.

She said, "Every heroine had refused to do that song. So that's what I say: 'You have to be on the right time at the right place'. Nobody knew Malaika was a model. I knew her because we knew Arbaaz (Khan) then she was seeing him. I didn't even know she can dance."

Earlier, Farah, who is currently seen as a judge on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa with Malaika and Arshad Warsi, revealed that it was very difficult to dance on the moving train and that everyone was scared. "Everyone says I discovered Deepika (Padukone), but I discovered Malaika first. She is my first child," she added.

She recalled how Malaika was trembling on the train for the dance number. "We just made her climb the train. She was trembling; literally, there was no safety, nothing. She had no makeup on, just kajal and a tattoo that Geeta (Kapur) made on her arms. And of course, Shah Rukh was there with her," concluded Farah.