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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Isha Koppikar recalls being humiliated for not knowing dance on South film set: ‘Yeh Bollywood se ladkiyan aati hain…'
Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar, who began her acting career in the South Indian film industry before transitioning to Bollywood with films like Don, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?, recently opened up about a deeply humiliating experience she faced early in her career. In a conversation with Digital Commentary, Isha recalled being shamed by a choreographer on the set of a South film for not knowing how to dance. Isha Koppikar says she was humiliated for her dance in a South film. Isha Koppikar on choreographer humiliating her on set Isha said, "Yes, in one of the South films, I had just begun my career. This is before I entered Bollywood. When I was on set, there was a lot of dance. You know how South dances are — they are not easy. But in my first film, mere choreographer ne mujhe sabke saamne bola ki yeh Bollywood se ladkiyan aati hai, pata nahi kyun le lete hain inko. Kuch aata hi nahi inhe (My choreographer said to me in front of everyone, 'These girls come from Bollywood, I don't know why they take them. They don't know anything')." How Isha Koppikar learnt to dance She went on to share how the incident motivated her to improve her dancing skills, "He humiliated me. I don't know if he was under some pressure. And he said dance nahi aata toh yahan kyun aayi ho? (If you don't know how to dance, then why have you come here?) I felt very bad and humiliated. I went back to my make-up room and I cried. But I took it up as a challenge. And I said, the next time I come to the South, I'll come after learning how to dance — I won't let anyone talk like that again." Determined to never face such criticism again, Isha revealed that she reached out to Saroj Khan's chief assistant dancer and asked to be trained in the legendary choreographer's style. She began learning Saroj's choreography at home every day, eventually landing the hit song Khallas, which catapulted her to fame. Often referred to as the 'Khallas Girl,' Isha rose to stardom with the chartbuster Khallas from Company (2002). Her bold screen presence and dance moves made her an overnight sensation. She went on to deliver hit dance numbers like Ishq Samundar (Kaante), Aankhen Maarein (Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai), Aaj Ki Raat (Don), and more. She was last seen in Ayalaan (2024), which starred Sivakarthikeyan, Rakul Preet Singh, Sharad Kelkar, Karunakaran, Yogi Babu, David Broughton-Davies, Bhanupriya, and Bala Saravanan in key roles.
Hindustan Times
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Isha Koppikar recalls Nagarjuna slapping her 14 times for a scene in Chandralekha: ‘At the end I had marks on my face'
Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar began her acting career with Telugu films before moving to Bollywood, where she starred in movies like Don, LOC Kargil, and Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, among others. In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Isha opened up about a behind-the-scenes moment from her second film Chandralekha, revealing she was slapped by Nagarjuna 14 times for a scene. Isha Koppikar recalls working with Nagarjuna during Chandralekha. When Nagarjuna slapped Isha Koppikar 14 times for a scene Isha recalled that during the shoot of Chandralekha, she asked Nagarjuna to slap her for real in order to truly feel the emotion of anger. She said, "I got slapped by Nagarjuna. I was a fully committed actor that I want to perform in a real, method way. So when he was slapping me, I couldn't feel it. This was my second film, so I told him, 'Nag, you really slap me.' He said, 'Are you sure? No, I can't.' I said, 'I want that feeling. I am not feeling it right now.' So he slapped me, but softly.' The actor went on to share how the director still couldn't capture the anger in her expression, which led to multiple retakes: 'In an attempt to look angry, I got slapped 14 times. At the end, I literally had slap marks on my face. Bechara mujhe leke baitha, bola sorry (Poor guy, he apologised to me). I said, 'I asked for it, why are you saying sorry?'' About Chandralekha The film marked Isha's debut as a lead actor in Telugu cinema. Directed by Krishna Vamsi, the comedy-drama also featured Nagarjuna, Ramya Krishnan, Murali Mohan, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu, and Tanikella Bharani in key roles. It was a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, originally directed by Priyadarshan. Isha Koppikar's recent work Isha was last seen in the 2024 sci-fi film Ayalaan, alongside Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh. The film also starred Sharad Kelkar, Karunakaran, Yogi Babu, David Broughton-Davies, Bhanupriya, and Bala Saravanan. It received positive reviews from both critics and audiences, grossing ₹76.5 crore worldwide. Isha is yet to announce her next project.
