4 months pregnant, dizziness, fever: How Madhuri Dixit rehearsed for 13 hours to perfect Devdas’ Dola Re Dola dance step

Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s duet in the song Dola Re Dola from Devdas became one of Bollywood’s most iconic performances. The blockbuster film, directed by ace director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, premiered 24 years ago, in 2002. The choreography was helmed by the legendary Saroj Khan, who passed away on July 3, 2020. Now, Rubina Khan, a crew member from Saroj Khan’s team, has shared a never-before-heard anecdote from Devdas, featuring Madhuri Dixit, regarding the song sequence.

Madhuri Dixit Dola Re Dola shoot

Rubina Khan, in a conversation with Bollywood Thikana, revealed that Madhuri Dixit was 4 months pregnant when she shot for Dola Re Dola. Rubina said that the song took 17 days to shoot, while rehearsals had gone on for nearly a month before filming began. The rehearsals for the background dancers and the lead actors were conducted separately, she added.



Recalling one particularly difficult portion of the choreography, Rubina Khan shared that there was one step that required Madhuri Dixit to turn around and sit down in one go. The particular move was especially difficult for the actress since she was pregnant. According to Rubina, the team kept filming the shot from 9 am to 10 pm because Madhuri was unable to turn properly and often felt dizzy during the process.

Madhuri Dixit obeyed Saroj Khan’s instructions

Rubina Khan continued that Madhuri Dixit was also running on a fever during the shoot and struggled through the demanding choreography. However, she praised the actress’ dedication and discipline, noting that despite her condition, Madhuri never once asked choreographer Saroj Khan to alter the dance step.

Rubina Khan highlighted how Saroj Khan’s instructions were treated as final by Madhuri Dixit. She added that while younger actors would sometimes request modifications if a step felt too difficult, Saroj Khan rarely changed her choreography, and Madhuri remained determined to perform the original steps exactly as envisioned.

More about Devdas and Madhuri Dixit

Devdas, a period romantic drama, is based on the same-titled Bengali-language novel (1917) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story centres around Devdas Mukherjee (Shah Rukh Khan), a wealthy law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood friend, Parvati ‘Paro (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). However, the rejection of their marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcoholism, ultimately leading to his death. Mahuri played the role of a gold-hearted coutesean Chandramukhi in the movie, serving as a safe refuge to Devdas.

Coming to Madhuri Dixit, the actress tied the knot with US-based cardiothoracic surgeon, Shriram Nene, in 1999. The couple welcomed sons Arin Nene in 2003 and Ryan Nene in 2005. Workwise, Madhuri will next be seen in the crime-comedy series Maa Behen alongside Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durgaa. The film will start streaming on Netflix from June 4.