Shilpa Shirodkar reveals she suffered ligament tear while shooting with Govinda for 'Sanam Mere Sanam' from 'Hum'
Mumbai, June 29
The 90s diva of Bollywood Shilpa Shirodkar revealed an unknown story about resistance and professionalism while shooting the iconic song, 'Sanam Mere Sanam' from 'Hum' with Govinda, decades ago.
The actress who appeared on the dance reality show, India's Best Dancer, spoke in detail about the incident on the sets of the song, that left her injured for weeks.
During a conversation with the host Haarsh Limbachiyaa, Shilpa opened up about the making of the iconic song, revealing the painful injuries she suffered during the shoot and how she continued filming despite the challenges.
Recalling the incident, Shilpa shared that the song was filmed with a very small unit, saying "Toh humara jo gaana tha woh sirf mera aur Chichi ka gaana tha, toh humare unit mein gin ke kuch 10 log honge, 2 lightman, Chinni Master ji, Rekha ji, main, Chichi aur camera man. Toh saree jo kheenchane ke sequences hote the woh lightman kheenchta tha. Toh sand mein Shilpa jo itni beautiful lag rahi hai woh actually lightman hai jo pair kheench raha hai."
"Koi neeche se background mein, Shilpa gir rahi hai, Chichi wahan pe beautifully shot kar raha hai Mauritius mein, Shilpa ja rahi hai, lightman usko daal raha hai neeche. Waise toh ek mob tha jo screw mob tha, aur hum shot kar rahe the toh rehearsal wagaira toh theek ho gaya aur lightman jo hai, he missed the mark, and he put my leg through that entire screw mob, toh poora pair jo tha woh chheel gaya tha lekin there was no scope because hum log beach mein the aur gaana khatam karna tha._ "
(Our song was just between me and Chichi (Govinda), so there were barely 10 people in our unit - 2 lightmen, Chinni Master ji, Rekha ji, myself, Chichi, and the cameraman. The sequences where the saree had to be pulled were actually done by the lightman. So the shots where Shilpa looks beautiful on the sand, it's actually a lightman pulling my leg."
"Someone would be in the background below, Shilpa would be falling, Chichi would be shooting beautifully in Mauritius, Shilpa would move, and the lightman would pull her down. There was a crew mob with a screw mechanism on set, and while we were shooting, the rehearsals went fine, but the lightman missed his mark and accidentally pushed my leg through that entire screw mechanism. My whole leg got badly scraped, but there was no scope to stop because we were on a beach and had to finish the song)
Later, adding further to the story, she said, "Toh uss time pe spirit gum hua karta tha, doctors nahi hote the set pe, toh kuch bhi ho spirit gum used to be our saviour. Spirit gum daalke wound ko heal karte the, aur hum log shooting karte the. Toh aise do baar episodes hue, and the second time jab episode hua toh unfortunately mujhe ek hafte, 10 din ka break lena pada kyunki I had torn my thigh ligament, aur main kaam nahi kar sakti thi toh main room mein baithi rehti thi aur climax shoot chal raha tha."
"Toh 10 din ke baad jab main wapas gayi set pe kyunki schedule khatam karna tha toh woh ek sequence hai wahan pe I am limping because main chal nahi paa rahi thi aur waise humne 'Sanam Mere Sanam' gaana khatam kiya."
(Back in those days, we had spirit gum, and there were no doctors available on sets. No matter what happened, spirit gum used to be our savior. We would apply spirit gum to seal the wound and keep shooting. Two such incidents happened, and the second time, unfortunately, I had to take a week to 10-day break because I had torn my thigh ligament."
"I couldn't work at all, so I just sat in my room while the climax shoot was going on. When I finally returned to the set after 10 days because we had to wrap up the schedule, there is a sequence where I am visibly limping because I couldn't walk properly. That is how we managed to finish the song 'Sanam Mere Sanam')
Talking about the iconic song, 'Sanam Mere Sanam', was a romantic duet from the 1991 blockbuster 'Hum', which was directed by Mukul S. Anand.
The song sung by Amit Kumar and Alka Yagnik, was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi.
The blockbuster hit starred Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Govinda, Kimi Katkar, Deepa Sahi, Shilpa Shirodkar, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan.
The song featured Govinda and Shilpa Shirodkar as the romantic pair and went on to become one of the movie's most popular tracks.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who's studied film production, this is terrifying. No doctor on set, and they used spirit gum to seal wounds? That's a major safety violation by modern standards. But it shows how dedicated actors were back then. Shilpa's professionalism is admirable, but I hope today's Bollywood sets have proper medical staff. The ligament tear is serious - she's lucky it didn't affect her long-term mobility.
Chachi 420 ki yaad aa gayi 🤩 But honestly, Govinda and Shilpa had such amazing chemistry. Sad to know she was limping in the final song - I've watched it a hundred times and never noticed. That's real dedication. Though the industry standard of 'spirit gum for everything' is concerning. Bollywood needs better safety protocols for actors and crew alike. Still, what a legend!
This is why 90s movies have that raw charm - they were made with real blood, sweat, and tears. Shilpa's story reminds me of what my grandmother used to say: 'No pain, no gain.' She literally hid her injury to finish the song. Nowadays actors post stories about 'injuries' from a sprained ankle for weeks off. Respect where it's due! The spirit gum DIY first aid is next-level though 😳
One of the most iconic Bollywood songs ever! But honestly, it's worrying how the industry used to treat injuries as 'normal'. Spirit gum on an open wound? That's a recipe for infection. I appreciate Shilpa's commitment, but the mindset that actors must sacrifice their health for a song needs to change. Still, it's amazing how she managed to deliver such a beautiful performance despite being in pain. Pure professionalism.
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