Amitabh Bachchan called the hook step in Jumma Chumma De De ‘vulgar’, but Jaya Bachchan liked it: Choreographer Chinni Prakash

You don’t need to belong to the 1990s to know about the iconic Jumma Chumma De De song from the movie Hum, picturised on Amitabh Bachchan and Kimi Katkar. Sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sudesh Bhosle, this track remained on top of the charts for months. Considered ‘fiery’ and to an extent ‘offensive’ at the time the film was released, the lyrics of the song were written by Anand Bakshi. But what created a bigger buzz was the choreography. Decades later, the brains behind the dance, Chinni Prakash, revealed that even Big B found one of the hook steps ‘vulgar’. In fact, he wanted it to be removed until Jaya Bachchan backed it up! 

Released in 1991, the Mukul S Anand-directed action crime thriller featured an ensemble cast that also included Rajinikanth, Govinda, Deepa Sahi, Shilpa Shirodkar, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan. Hum was an instant box-office hit and even bagged several awards, including those won by Chinni and Sudesh. It also marked the last film before megastar Amitabh went into a sabbatical (for about five years). 

Speaking during an interview recently, the choreographer opened up about helming the number Jumma Chumma De De. It was Govinda who brought him on board for the song, and when he went to Amitabh’s to show him some of the steps, the actor found the hook step particularly ‘vulgar’. Nevertheless, he gave it a try. “Amitabh saw the hook step I did for Jumma Chumma De De and said, ‘It is vulgar. What are you doing? It looks bad.’ I said, we could try something different. But then he suggested we could try the steps and could leave it out later if it did not look good,” Chinni said on ZEE5’s Weekend with Ramesh chat show.   

Also read: Amitabh Bachchan shares video, applauds man’s innovative way of beating heat 

Later, when they saw the number after editing, Jaya Bachchan was also present and she was happy to see that step. “This is the best step, people will not forget this,” she said. In fact, she was convinced that the hook step would become a hit, Chinni added.