Noted cinematographer Anil Mehta who teamed up with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam shared how Salman Khan’s spontaneity inspired an iconic scene in the popular ‘Tadap Tadap Ke’ song in the movie.
After making his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical, Sanjay Leela Bhansali took everyone by surprise when he helmed a love triangle, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam starring Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgn. The film upon its release, was well-received by the audience for its stunning visuals, powerful performances and melodious music.
Speaking about the songs, one of the memorable tracks is ‘Tadap Tadap Ke’ sung by late KK and picturized on Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Recently, in an interview with Film Companion, ace cinematographer Anil Mehta who worked on this film shared an interesting anecdote about how Salman’s spontaneity inspired the iconic desert sequence in this heartbreak song.
Walking down the memory lane, Anil recalled, “I remember in the desert, Salman just went with the scene. Otherwise, which hero is going to lie down in the hot sand and ask people to put that sand on him. He was doing it himself and that’s also infectious. You are drawing from that energy and then he started doing some random stuff.”
The cinematographer revealed that seeing Salman’s spontaneous act, he struck by an idea about how to set up the mood of the song.
He continued, “So, I took the camera off the tripod and then I was with Salman in that moment. I soaked in from what he was doing and later the camera also points at the sun which was a ‘no, no’ at the time. Today, it is the norm. But, it was the energy of the piece and the performance and then, of course, there was master of drama at work – Sanjay.”
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam revolves a newly-wed man Vanraj (Ajay Devgn) who discovers that his wife Nandini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is in love with another man Sameer (Salman Khan) and decides to unite them.
