03 August,2023 09:31 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Still from Tum Kya Mile
Karan Johar's latest directorial 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' was released in theatres on July 28. The film opened with positive reviews from audience and critics alike and is enjoying a good run at the box office. The film which has drama, emotions, comedy, romance, and music is being hailed as Karan Johar's finest work. However, before the release of the film, there was criticism towards the film based on its songs and trailer. The romantic track 'Tum Kya Mile' featuring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt was criticised for lack of chemistry between the lead pair. However, all that changed when the film released and audience was made aware of the context behind the song and its picturisation. The song was shot in Kashmir during snow season. The song was choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant.
Talking to Hindustan Times about the song Vaibhavi said, "Karan has also given a slight tribute to Aditya Chopra from 'Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko Toh Pyar Sajna' (from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge), where Kajol and Shah Rukh realise they've parted ways but fallen in love. This is suspension of disbelief. Karan didn't have a doubt whether it'd work or not. He was driven utterly by conviction."
"The only challenge was to make Ranveer do this. He's not done this lip-sync song, except for one with Priyanka Chopra in Gunday. Otherwise he's never done a love song where he's looking all dreamy, and looking at the heroine with dove eyes. I wanted to do an exercise of rehearsals with him," she added.
Vaibhavi also revealed that Alia Bhatt went to the master himself to take notes. "Alia had herself gone and visited Shah Rukh for a day to learn this, because she'd never done a song like this either, except a little bit of Ishq Wala Love in her first film. But then how to handle the pallu, handle the sari, see the hero gush at you, maintain your hair, fighting all the wind in a chiffon sari in sub-zero temperatures. We also use the fan to counter the wind and ensure the sari flows in a beautiful way. You're even listening to the song at a faster speed, so to maintain the sanity of your expression, to emote and lip-sync in high speed⦠for me, that was a challenge. Because these aren't veterans of this kind of songs. You've seen Shah Rukh and Kajol do it a hundred times because it was a norm in those days."
Talking about the song being compared with the chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, she said, "We expected the comparison, but we didn't get bogged down by that. Pointing fingers to that wasn't a eureka moment for us. When the song released, people were watching it as a standalone sequence. But now that the film is out, they're all praise. We knew that we'd done the best of what we could do under the circumstances we were in."
