Shilpa Shetty Kundra: In Dhadkan, I was meant to look like Vyjayanthimala from Sangam

Dhadkan, starring Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty celebrated its 25th anniversary this month. Directed by Dharmesh Darshan, the movie is remembered for the romance (love angle between the three) and its lovely music. That apart, Shilpa’s styling in the film was also a major talking point. Reflecting on that, Shilpa shared, “It was an amalgamation of Dharmeshji’s vision and meeting Manish Malhotra’s fashion sensibilities. I used to stand there like a mannequin, and I remember right from tying the chignon on my head, how the dupatta had to be kissing my neck, to how the saree was draped, -—they would take care of intricate details. Dharmeshji wanted to do a complete image makeover for me and keep Anjali very glamorous, even when she was wearing a kurta.

It was completely his vision. He was certain he wanted the heroine of Dhadkan to look like Vyjayanthimala from Sangam. So, he used a lot of whites, beiges, creams and chickan work — it was beautiful.”Recalling the film’s lengthy production timeline, she explained, “The film took five years to complete. The bit with Akshay in Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Hain Dil Se was shot in Switzerland. The shot where Suniel emerges, and I am running towards him in slow motion imagining that he is there — that was shot after four years. And again, the shot where I meet Akshay back again in the fields against a yellow backdrop was shot after two years.

So, Ratanji (Jain, producer) and I joke about this and say that this was our Mughal-E-Azam.”

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