Mani Ratnam says Shah Rukh Khan refused to use safety harness in Chaiyya Chaiyya: ‘You can see him jumping around’

Shah Rukh Khan has always been known for his great energy and enthusiasm on set. And recently, during an interview, maverick filmmaker Mani Ratnam confirmed as much. Ratnam, who has been promoting his upcoming magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan 1, while chatting with IANS revealed that during the making of Dil Se’s beloved song “Chaiyya Chaiyya,” the actor wanted to perform freely on top of the train without the aid of a safety harness.
“We just did what we were supposed to in a limited span of time. Of course the magic started with Rahman composing that melody but on set, there were several challenges that we were battling against. We were losing the light and facing logical challenges as narrow gauge was too small to accommodate cameras and broad gauge trains were too fast from the point of view of the crew’s safety. We didn’t get time to ponder over creative line of thought,” the director said.

“On top of that Shah Rukh Khan was really adamant on not wearing the safety harness because he wanted to cover the entire space of the coaches for his performance. You can see him jumping around the coaches, performing, you can literally see him enjoying the song as he performed. Considering the safety and time, more than anything, we wanted to get the shoot off our chest as quickly as possible”, Ratnam concluded.
Dil Se marked the first and only collaboration of Mani Ratnam and Shah Rukh Khan. The film also starred Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta in pivotal roles.
Meanwhile, Ponniyin Selvan-1 will release in cinemas on September 30.