Rekha is one of the most evergreen actresses in the Bollywood industry. She is well known for her timeless elegance. Just like her remarkable works, her personal life has often garnered a lot of limelight. However, the actress has recently made her way to the headlines for her 1981 film, Umrao Jaan, which is all set to re-release in theatres on June 27, 2025. But do you know the Bollywood diva once broke down in tears after she was confronted by dance master, Saroj Khan, as the former refused to shoot a dance sequence of the 1990 film, Sheshnaag? Yes, you read that right.
In an old conversation on the Lehren podcast, it was dance guru, Saroj Khan who shared how her confrontation made Rekha emotional. For the unversed, Saroj Khan was one of the popular dance choreographers in Bollywood and the first woman choreographer in the industry. The seemingly fight between Rekha and Saroj on the sets of Sheshnaag was once the most-talked-about controversy in the film industry. So without further ado, let’s dive deep to know what exactly had happened.
Saroj Khan shared that Rekha didn’t come to shoot for a dance number of Sheshnaag even after she requested producers to send her to rehearsals
For the uninitiated, the 1990 film, Sheshnaag, starring Rekha, Jeetendra, and Rishi Kapoor, was directed by K.R. Reddy and was produced by Syed Ayub, Deepak Adhiya and Nalini Shankar. In a past conversation on the Lehren podcast, Saroj shared that Sheshnaag’s producers gave her and her team very little time for the dance number, and thus they were practising day and night. The dance master also requested the producers to send actress, Rekha for the rehearsals, but the latter didn’t appear on the sets as she was shooting for some other project. In her words:
“The producer gave very less time for us to record the song. We were just getting three days to rehearse the song. My group and I were working day and night to compose the dance of the song. We asked the producer to send Rekha ji for rehearsals because it was a very difficult dance. But she didn’t come. She was either sick or shooting for something else.”
Rekha refused to shoot for the dance number choreographed by Saroj Khan
In the same conversation, Saroj Khan said that the first time Rekha appeared on the sets of Sheshnaag, when they had the shoot of their dance number. The actress was sitting in her car with no costume, but her makeup was done. When Saroj went to speak to her, Rekha said to cancel the shoot as she was unwell. This made Saroj a bit angry, and she confronted the actress. Saroj said to Rekha that maybe she might have some problems with her, for which she hadn’t appeared in rehearsals and is also cancelling the shoot. Saroj also said that the actress might also inform the producers and change her dance master in the film if required. In her words:
“She came on the day of the shooting. She was sitting in her car with no costume just her makeup was done. I went to her car to speak to her and she told me, ‘Cancel the shoot, I am not well.’ I told her, ‘Rekha ji, I think you have something allergic against me. You don’t come for rehearsals and on shooting day you say you are sick. You can ask the producer to change the dance master. Tell the producer you don’t want to work with me because there is something wrong here’.”
Rekha broke down in tears after Saroj Khan’s confrontation
Further in the interview, Saroj revealed that her confrontation left Rekha in tears. Saroj shared that when she found tears in the actress’ eyes, she said to her that there is nothing wrong with what she said, and thus she thinks the actress should shoot. Hearing this, Rekha had replied that she would be shooting and left the place to get ready. Soon after Rekha left, her secretary came and enquired of Saroj what had happened between the two, as the former was crying.
Hearing this, the dance master told Rekha’s secretary that she didn’t say anything harsh to her, and went upstairs to console the actress. When Saroj tried to console the actress, saying that there was nothing wrong with what she said, Rekha asked her how could she say that the actress doesn’t like her choreography even after she respects her so much. Hearing this, the dance master corrected the actress, saying that she had never said this, but felt that, as everybody had their own favourites, it might happen that the actress is comfortable working with other dance masters.
Saroj Khan shared that Sheshnaag’s dance number was Rekha’s best dance performance
In the same interview, Saroj shared that she again confronted Rekha, saying that the actress might choose her favourite dance master, Kamal, and she doesn’t mind anything in that. But, it was not fair if she cancelled the shoot of a choreographer who practised hard day and night for a dance number. Hearing this, Rekha agreed to shoot, and according to Saroj, it was Rekha’s best dance performance. In her words:
“Accha chalo woh gusse mein, spirit mein woh kaam toh bahut aacha hogaya. I think she has never danced so beautifully. There was no misunderstanding between us. She danced very very well. She went to the extent of doing all the knee movements. She didn’t change even one beat of it. May be because of the tension between us, she did that. But she did the best.”
What do you think about Saroj Khan’s confrontation that left Rekha in tears? Let us know.
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