Shah Rukh Khan ‘begs’ Mani Ratnam for a movie; here’s how the filmmaker responded

Shah Rukh Khan and Mani Ratnam had worked together in the 1998 film Dil Se. At the CNN-News18 Indian Of The Year 2023 event on Wednesday, the two spoke about collaborating on a project again. Trying to convince Mani Ratnam to cast him in a film, Shah Rukh said he was ready to do Chaiyya Chaiyya on top of a plane if the filmmaker asked him.

‘I’m telling you every time to do a film with me’

Shah Rukh Khan told Mani Ratnam, “I’m requesting you, I’m begging you and I’m telling you every time to do a film with me. I swear, this time, I’ll dance on top of the plane for Chaiyya Chaiyya if you tell me… And, good evening Suhasini (Mani Ratnam’s wife). I told you that time to tell him ‘Shah Rukh, Shah Rukh’ before he sleeps.” When asked if he’ll make another film with the actor, the director said he would do so ‘when he (Shah Rukh) buys a plane…”

Boasting about the box office success of all his films in 2023, including the blockbusters Pathaan and Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan told Mani Ratnam in his cheeky way, “Mani, let me just tell you, the way my films are doing… this plane is not faraway.” In response, the filmmaker joked, “I’ll bring it down to earth, don’t worry.”

Sharing a clip of their interaction at the event a fan tweeted, “Shah Rukh Khan’s pitch to Mani Ratnam for another film after Dil Se is so wholesome. SRK said he will dance to Chaiyya Chaiyya on top of a plane this time.”

Shah Rukh Khan and Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se

Directed by Mani Ratnam, Dil Se was a love story set against the backdrop of insurgency in northeast. Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dil Se featured several songs, of which Chhaiya Chhaiya was one of the most iconic. It was composed by AR Rahman and penned by Gulzar. Chaiyya Chaiyya was sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi, and choreographed by Farah Khan. She had won the Filmfare Award for best choreography for the song that year.

Earlier, during a 2017 interview with PTI, Shah Rukh, who played the lead role in the film co-starring Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta, had spoken about shooting Chaiyya Chaiyya, and said that it was ‘very scary’ to film on a moving train. He had revealed that while shooting for the song, the dancers were tied to the train for protection. Shah Rukh had added that he was left loose as he had to jump and whirl in the dance sequences.