While many songs picturised on Bollywood's inhouse 'serial kisser' have gone on to become chartbusters, Emraan Hashmi apparently can't dance! And Dibakar Banerjee, director of his forthcoming Shanghai, learnt this the hard way.
The filmmaker informs, "We had no plans of making Emraan sing and dance in the film's item song. He was just going to be a spectator.
But then my producers insisted that he participate, so we changed the concept. Emraan chose not to do the rehearsed steps, but to dance like a guy who has just joined in the revelry on an impulse."
The director, it appears, is being diplomatic. Our source reveals, "Emraan suddenly realised that he can't dance on rehearsed steps.
For an actor whose songs have been danced to in every club and discotheque across the country, this was quite a revelation.
Emraan sheepishly admitted that he had done a step or two only in Aksar. Otherwise, he has only emoted to his numbers."
Unwilling to replicate Mansi Aggarwal's choreography, Emraan did his own steps. Apparently, there was a lot of drama on the sets.
The song Bharat Mata Ki Jai was originally planned as a chorus number with a mob joining in the anthem. However, representatives from the film's production house PVR Cinema showed up at the shoot forcing Banerjee to change the concept.
They informed him that their contract with the actor demands that he lip syncs the lyrics of all his songs in the film. Says a member of the team, "Dibakar had planned to shoot the number with Emraan and co-star Pitobash, with the crowds joining in.
The production guys, however, insisted that only Emraan do the singing in the song. Poor Pitobash was just asked to keep quiet."
Unhappy with the turn of events, Banerjee has apparently recorded two versions of the song one which has just Hashmi lip-synching and the other with the chorus.
"Dibakar will still try to push for the chorus version of the number. If he is unable to persuade his producers, he will have no option but to go ahead with the solo version."