Himani Shivpuri recalls how Shah Rukh Khan helped her during DDLJ saree scene, why it turned out ‘beautiful’

Veteran actor Himani Shivpuri took a trip down memory lane and recalled her iconic saree scene in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) with actor Shah Rukh Khan. In a new interview, Himani said that though she and Shah Rukh Khan had different shots, he still stood there and gave all the reactions, ‘which is why that scene is so beautiful’. On Shah Rukh’s 57th birthday, she also recalled that he had asked her to watch the scene in a theatre. (Also Read | Shah Rukh Khan’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to re-release in select theatres on November 2)

In the famous saree scene in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a vendor visits Himani’s character Kammo Kaur’s home to show his collection of sarees. As she checks them out, Raj, played by Shah Rukh, walks by her room but stops near her window. While Kammo tries the look in different sarees, Raj slyly lets her know which one looks good on her.

In an interview with News18, Himani said, “All the scenes I have done with Shah Rukh, he always used to rehearse. In that iconic scene with Shah Rukh Khan in DDLJ, it was a two-shot scene with me and the saree wala. And Shah Rukh has a different shot, but during our shot, too Shah Rukh stood there and gave all the reactions, which is why that scene is so beautiful. His close-up was taken later on, but he stood there when our scene was being shot, which is so sweet of him, and he always did that.”

She also said, “Shah Rukh asked me ‘Himani ji have you seen the film in the theatre?’ At that time, they used to watch movies in theatres. So, I said no. He told me to go and see the response to my scene. ‘Crowds clap when you make your entry,’ he told me.”

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) is a musical romance directed by Aditya Chopra. Apart from Himani and Shah Rukh, the film also stars Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Satish Shah, Anupam Kher, Parmeet Sethi, and Mandira Bedi among others. With an estimated total gross of ₹2 billion worldwide, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was the highest-grossing Indian film of 1995.

Shah Rukh, whose last full-fledged screen appearance was Zero (2018), has three film releases lined up for next year. There is the spy thriller Pathaan followed by Jawan, a pan-India movie helmed by Atlee, and Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki.