Ahmed Khan on Rangeela re-release, his first big break as choreographer in Aamir Khan, Urmila Matondkar film, credit war with Saroj Khan

A poster of Ahmed Khan, Rangeela

Filmmaker Ahmed Khan is known for directing Baaghi 2 and Baaghi 3 and producing Paathshaala, Ek Paheli Leela. However, his journey started as a child artist. After becoming known in Mr. India, Ahmed started his career as a choreographer. Released in 1995, Rangeela was his debut film and he impressed the masses with his vision and steps towards Urmila Matondkar and Aamir Khan. As Ram Gopal Varma’s film re-releases in theatres, Ahmed joins DNA India for an exclusive interaction. quotes

Question: Congratulations Rangeela, your first major work as a choreographer is being re-released. What do you think about this? What are your memories about the movie?

A: Thank you very much. I feel like I’m reliving that moment. At the time, we didn’t know what the film would become; We were just working on our first movie. Today, when a movie is released, you see whether it is a blockbuster or a chartbuster. Now when I look back, I feel happy.

Q: You even won the Filmfare Award for Best Choreographer for Rangeela Re. Was this the only song you choreographed in the movie?

A: No, I choreographed the entire film except Tanha Tanha. I produced most of the songs.

Q: What was life like before Rangeela and after Rangeela?

A: It’s like asking how life changed before and after winning the World Cup. I was just a kid playing football, cricket, spending time with friends… and suddenly I stepped into the shoes of a top choreographer and won an award in my first film. It’s a dream to win such an award. With the grace of my mother and the grace of God Almighty, I understood this from the very beginning. Life changed overnight. Normally people work for 8-10 years, make multiple songs and then reach that stage. For me, those years disappeared in one day.

Q: But before Rangeela you were still working hard for years, right? Was our earliest memory of you about Mr. India?

A: Yes, as a child actor aged 11-12, I was lucky to make a film that is still remembered today. Many child actors have appeared in dozens of films and are still unknown because their films have not become cult classics. But Mr. India did it. And it was a children’s movie; Anil Kapoor was there but the kids played an important role. Coming to Rangeela, my first film as a choreographer was a musical and till date it is known as one of the greatest musicals. Life has been kind to me.

Question: How easy or difficult was it to get Urmila, Aamir and Jackie dancing?

A: Look, for me, this was my first movie. I wasn’t that careful about what to do. This was my first movie, everything was fine. I didn’t know everyone was on the same page. Urmila said, “Mujhe naya Adım de. Jo Adım karvana hai karva. Even Aamir tried his best. So it wasn’t just me. Everyone was saying the same thing. We should all come out. And we all went out. Finally we got the result and it was loved by everyone.”

Question: Tell me one thing; How did you arrive at Rangeela? How did this happen?

A: I was helping Saroj ji (Saroj Khan) at that time. Somehow their date was clashing with Rangeela. He used to send me for Tanha Tanha and other songs. Ramu said to me, “I want you to do the film.” This was a complete shock to me. This is how I got Rangeela. After that… the rest is history.

Question: After it was published, there was a complete credit war. Saroj Khan was angry with the producers. Would you like to say something about this?

A: He is my guru, always. To this day I say he is my guru. But the loans are not in our hands; It’s in the hands of the producer and director. This is their call. Ram Gopal Varma did his best for me and helped me. He wanted to put my name the way he thought was right. That’s what happened. It was out of my control. It was disproportionate, yes, but that’s why people noticed me from my first movie.