The classic film Rangeela, featuring Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff and Urmila Matondkar, is returning to theatres this Friday to mark 30 years since its release. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the movie became a major turning point for choreographer Ahmed Khan. In a recent conversation, Ahmed shared how the director gave him complete creative freedom to design the dance sequences. The film's music, composed by AR Rahman in his first Hindi project, was ahead of its time. Songs like the title track and Hey Rama remain popular even today. Ahmed explained that Rangeela changed how songs were filmed in mainstream cinema. The director encouraged him to break conventional patterns and make bold choices. This trust allowed Ahmed to experiment with fresh ideas that connected with the younger audience of that era.
Breaking Away from Traditional Song Filming
Ahmed Khan was very young when he was given the responsibility of choreographing Rangeela. He noted that before this film, songs were shot in outdated ways without much creativity. The younger generation was changing and becoming more open to the world. Ram Gopal Varma wanted someone who could bring fresh energy to the music videos. He specifically told Ahmed not to follow the style of senior choreographers. The director encouraged him to take risks and even make mistakes, saying that any defect would appear as an effect. Ahmed realized this was a rare opportunity to experiment without fear of damaging his reputation.
Director's Trust and Creative Experiments
For the title sequence, Ahmed brought in background dancers who normally would never dance, including karate students and army personnel. This unusual choice made the visuals interesting and different. When Ahmed worried about making errors, Ram Gopal Varma reminded him that only the director himself would face criticism for taking a chance on an unknown choreographer. The song Hey Rama was filmed as a passionate conflict between two characters. Ahmed introduced slow-motion filming for Pyaar Ye Jaane Kaisa He without worrying about perfect lip sync. Each song received careful attention, requiring hard work and mutual trust between the team members. The film re-releases on November 28.
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