Interview | Ahmed Khan recalls choreographing the songs in Rangeela: ‘Ram Gopal Varma wanted me to make mistakes’

AAmir Khan, Jackie Shroff and Urmila Matondkar’s Rangeela is all go down for a re-release in theatres this fri, to fete 30 years of its legacy. The shoot, directed by ram down Gopal Varma, proved to be a breakthrough for choreographer Ahmed Khan. The songs of the film, from the title track to Hey Rama, are still loved by fans across the nation. It also marked a shift in the way mainstream songs were choreographed and shot. In an exclusive interaction with HT, Ahmed Khan opened up about how Ram Gopal Varma trusted him and gave him all the freedom with the visual and dance numbers. (Excerpts)The generation was changingThe choreographer recalls being entrusted with the film's songs at a young age. “When Rangeela happened, in those days, songs were shot in a very crass manner. It wasn't having any innovation in how visually we can do something new to appeal to a newer generation,” he says. “That time the generation was changing… today we call Gen-Z, Alpha and millennial, that time the terms weren't there, but the germ was there… and the youngsters were rebellious at that point in time. They were opening up to the world.”'We didn't know that a major section of the audience was also ready to accept it'He adds, “The youth of that time were really aggressive. They didn't know which way to run… Today's kids have direction; we did not have that during that time. I entered the industry at a time when there were no great songs. Rangeela happened to me, and the music was AR Rahman's first Hindi score. The music was different and ahead of its time. We didn't know that a major section of the audience was also ready to accept it. When Ram Gopal Varma approached me to do the songs, I was very young. I don't know how he realised that today's youth needs more young people to do it.”The director's inputs were of great help, recalls Ahmed. He says, “It was Ram Gopal Varma who thought it first; he wanted me to go between the lines. It could only happen with someone who was young, youthful and someone who did not know how to do it. He told me one thing, ‘Ahmed if you want to do something like regular dance directors, I don’t want you to do this movie. I have taken you for the wild thought and the freedom to do this with no fear, that I have a name to lose or career…' He also said that he wanted me to make mistakes. ‘Please do something which a young boy would do. No need to follow a pattern,’ he said. I realised he did not want me to do something that my senior choreographers would do. He said that if you do a defect, it will look like an effect. That got imprinted in my mind, and if a director wants me to go all out and make mistakes, isse achcha playground kaha milega (what better playground than this)? I followed that, but did not follow the continuities, and tried something more visually appealing.”Take for instance the title sequence, in which there is a long sequence where a variety of background dancers come in the frame and then go out, while Urmila continues with the steps. Ahmed recalls how it all began. He said, “Let's do a song and put those people who would never dance! I put a bunch of karate boys. I put boys from the Army, people with guns- they would never dance! I put all those people, and that looked weird! I showed how these people are dancing who never dance, and that is Rangeela and how Urmila gets everything together in life. Ram Gopal Varma said I have never heard of this and let me run with these ideas.”‘How did Ram Gopal Varma give such a big break to this boy?’“At one point, I told him that nothing should go wrong and that no one should blame me later on. Then after that, he called me and very sweetly he put me to my place. He said, ‘No one should blame you. But who are you? What’s your name? If anyone is to blame, it is me. That how did Ram Gopal Varma give such a big break to this boy? You don't have anything to lose. If you start thinking this way, then I don't want you in this film,'” he shares.The choreographer recalls how Ram Gopal Varma told him that Hey Rama would be shown as a ‘passionate fight between a man and a woman.’ He adds, “Then he wanted to shoot Pyaar Ye Jaane Kaisa He and I came up with the idea of slow motion. But, how would we do lip sync? Never mind that, and did that as a romantic track. There were so many songs in the film, and it was tough to hold. Then there is the spirit of Rangeela, where she is dancing at the beach and Jackie is watching… Each song was picked with care. It was hardwork, team effort and more than anything, the belief in each other.”Rangeela is set to re-release on November 28.