Shilpa Shirodkar body-shamed, lost out on Chaiyya Chaiyya with Shah Rukh Khan because people thought she was ‘fat’

All 90s kids remember the iconic Dil Se… song Chaiyya Chaiyya because of Malaika Arora. However, did you know that Shilpa Shirodkar was initially considered for the dance number? She was in fact even rejected thanks to the old tradition of fat-shaming.

Almost 25 years later, Shilpa revealed that she was considered for Chaiyya Chaiyya but got rejected, after which the song went to Malaika. Shilpa spoke to ETimes and shared, “Apparently, they thought I was too fat so they offered it to Malaika.”

Shilpa was considerably sad that she could not do the iconic dance number with the one and only, Shah Rukh Khan. The Mani Ratnam directorial boasted on the song which was shot on top of a real-life moving train. Thanks to that piece of news and of course, the whole vibe of the song, Chaiyya Chaiyya became iconic and is still among the list of top dance numbers Bollywood ever produced.

Even though Shilpa lost her opportunity to work with Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se…, she did share screen with him in Gaja Gamini. In that film too, Shilpa appeared with SRK in just one scene. However, for her, it was a dream-come true. Interestingly enough, Gaja Gamini was also Shilpa’s last major release before her big break from Bollywood.

MF Hussain’s Gaja Gamini is an ode to Madhuri Dixit. Apart from SRK, the movie also featured Naseeruddin Shah in the lead role.

Shilpa Shirodkar made her acting comeback in the TV show Ek Mutthi Aasmaan. The TV serial aired in 2013 and went off-air in 2014.

The actress played the role of Kalpi (lead Asha Negi’s character)’s mother on the show. She was one of the three female leads on the show.