The much-loved entertainer Main Hoon Na (2004) turned 19 on April 30. It starred Shah Rukh Khan while Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao along with Sushmita Sen also had important roles to play. Zayed had debuted a year earlier with Chura Liya Hai Tumne (2003) and thanks to this movie Farah Khan became a household name.
On Main Hoon NaOn his 19th anniversary, Zayed Khan spoke exclusively Bollywood Hungama about the movie and more.
Your first movie Chura Liya Hai Tumne it didn’t work but Main Hoon Na it was a great success and is still remembered today. This movie must have changed a lot for you…
It will be unfair to say this, but even if I had not done any other film apart from this Mr Hun Na, I would still be who I am now! I met people who were my fans at that time. They have of course seen the film, but when I meet their children, I find that even they have Main Hoon Na. It’s such a great feeling as it helps me connect with the whole new generation.
Making films at that time was such a beautiful experience. It was so much about camaraderie. Shah Rukh was such an amazing producer. When you come on set, he makes you feel like you are the heart and soul of the film. Shah Bhai and I got along like a house on fire. Farah is literally like my fifth sister. It fired me up so much though!
In a podcast, Farah Khan revealed that you messed up a lot in the breakout scene. Instead of saying, “Only dad’s army mein it“, you will end up saying”Only dad navy mein it“…
(laughs) Mary Hindi itni haas nahin thi. It was a long dialogue and in front of me were Shah Rukh Khan, Farah Khan and Kirron Kher. I practiced this dialogue for 2 months. But then on set, I understood and dialogue nikal hi nahin raha hai bahar. I just didn’t get it right. Farah wanted to throw a chappal at me! Shah Rukh very sweetly took me aside. I learned so many incredible qualities from this man. He said to me, “I know this scene sounds like one you have to shout. But internalize it.” It was like a Eureka moment. Something opened in my head. I understood the thought process. He made an actor out of me.
The meme from Main Hoon Na,Sabke paas nahin hota Laxman’ has become iconic. How do you feel?
(Smiles) There is no doubt that Lucky is an iconic character. If there is a celebration of 100 years of cinema, Main Hoon Na will definitely be there. There is so much in the film that is relatable. Even today, some people ask me,Ek baar bata do ye ccollege kahan hai? Mujhe wahin permission Lena hey!
Also, the Laxman guy is related. He is a bit of a rebel but he is kind hearted. Life has not been kind to him. He probably blames everyone for it. Everyone goes through it, or at least 90% of them.
What was harder – delivering that speech or doing the song in one take “Chale Jaise Hawayein”?
This was a time when we were shooting on 400 feet of film and not digital. So it wasn’t like “Jitne bhi takes chahiye, le lo‘! There was a discipline on set. Also, we were in high spirits. After giving a shot, haalat kharab ho jaati thi. I remember, during the shoot, the camera captured Amrita Rao and she was coming towards me. Everyone around me was like “Be ready, be ready, be ready.” The dancers had done this too many times. Anyway, the camera panned to me and one of the dancers next to me fell down. He got fit as he was so exhausted. I did not know what to do. I started playing but then I realized I had to dance to this song. I thought, “This can’t be my intro”!
So, I said, “Cut.” And Farah got so angry. She abused me and threw her chappal at me too! I told her, “How do you expect me to dance over someone who’s dying, man”! She thundered, “You can’t say Cut to my bloody set. I’ll say Cut.’ Eventually, the unit members realize that the poor guy is lying down. He was saved. Then we did it again and it went on very smoothly.
When I came on board, I didn’t know how to dance the Bollywood way. I could dance in a nightclub and go crazy. But doing 1-2-3-4 steps was not easy for me. Even during “Mohabbat Hai Mirchi”, I faced a difficult time. I was an American kid who just came back and it seemed so strange to me. And that was part of the problem. I didn’t buy it wholeheartedly. I literally had to muscle memory it instead of believing it.
How did the back hand gesture come about?
Farah came to me and Shah Rukh and said, ‘Can you both do something that will make the audience look like you are both brothers?’ He suggested that maybe we can wear the watch in a similar way and there were a few more ideas. Meanwhile, I was wearing hair extensions. It irritated me and I was pulling my hair. Shah Rukh once saw me do it and said, “Just do it again.” I said to him “Why aren’t you wearing those bloody extensions?”! He insisted I do it again. I did and he said, “Let’s do this together.” It’s so strange that everyone relates to it, even today.
Discipline at that time was different. When it was called “Action” everyone gave it their best as the money rolled. No one could waste film. Nowadays, when someone makes a joke, the director will say “No problem, let’s do it again.” Hence, Ouch discipline nahin racha. Then there was a lot of finesse in the process.
Also Read: 16 Years Of Main Hoon Na: ‘Farah Khan is the only director who feels I could be a very cool action hero’ – Shah Rukh Khan
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