'Chaiyya Chaiyya' shoot: When Shah Rukh Khan insisted Malaika Arora should be on harness

Recently, Malaika Arora recalled an incident related to the 1998 Mani Ratnam film Dil Se's song Chaiyya Chaiyya, which became a huge hit. Malaika Arora and Shah Rukh Khan performed on a moving train in the song, which is still very popular. Malaika claimed in an interview that Shah Rukh was concerned about her safety during the shoot and that she was tied to the train with a harness.

In a previous interview from 2017, Shah Rukh, who portrayed the main character in the movie 'Dil Se' with Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta, mentioned that it was "extremely scary" to film on a moving train. He had disclosed that the dancers had been tied to the train during the song's filming for their safety. Shah Rukh had also said that he had been allowed to dance without a harness because dance routines required him to jump and spin around.

Now, Malaika recalled the Chaiyya Chaiyya shot and stated that Shah Rukh Khan demanded that she be on a harness because he was concerned that she may fly off the train. First, they refused because it would be difficult to dance while one part of you was bound and chained in that way, but finally they did, recalled Malaika.


Chhaiya Chhaiya was one of Dil Se's most popular songs. Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi sang the song, while the Chaiyya Chaiyya dance was choreographed by Farah Khan, who also received the Filmfare Award for best choreography for the same film that year.

Chhaiya Chhaiya was written by Gulzar, and the music was composed by AR Rahman. Malaika stated that Chaiyya Chaiyya should never be altered or replicated since it was "iconic".

'Moving In With Malaika' is slated to be Malaika's OTT debut. Malaika's life and normal day-to-day activities will be shown to viewers, as well as a glimpse into her personal life. On Disney+ Hotstar, the show will begin streaming on December 5.

Related FAQs:

1. Who wrote the song Chhaiya Chhaiya?
   Chhaiya Chhaiya was written by Gulzar.
2. Why was Shah Rukh Khan allowed to perform without a harness on the train in the song Chhaiya Chhaiya?
   Shah Rukh had said that he had been allowed to perform without a harness because the dance routines required him to jump and spin around.