Vaibhavi Merchant

Leke Prabhu Ka Naam' from 'Tiger 3', has set the Internet on fire as soon as it was released. And if you think that the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif chemistry was the only reason behind it, well then, you would be mistaken. The lady behind the song and many more such songs is ace choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant. Recently, Vaibhavi shared experience working with Salman and Katrina on this song.After 'Swag Se Swagat' in 'Tiger Zinda Hai', she is delighted with the response to 'Leke Prabhu Ka Naam' and decoded why the song is an instant hit.Vaibhavi revealed, "The intent is always to do justice to the song given, so, of course, it is also a franchise, and I have been a part of 'Ek Tha Tiger,' 'Tiger Zinda Hai,' and now 'Tiger 3,' so the expectation is always to do better. Yes, the intention was to do better, bigger, more in line with the theme of the film - that Tiger is back with Zoya, and now this time they are heating things up onscreen, sizzling - catering to their fans and for everyone to come in and groove with it."She added, "I think their chemistry, camaraderie, and the ease with which they hold the frame. With Salman, you are already on the upswing because the moment you bring him in front of the camera, half the battle is won because he is so good looking. He is such a handsome man and you can shoot him from whichever angle, and he is going to look the best. With Katrina, of course, she comes alive on camera. Otherwise, she is such a simple girl. She would rather sit in her pajamas or her comfort wear than do all of this, but then she makes the effort. She is very particular about what she is putting out there from her accessories, shoes, and all of that. So when she comes on screen, she is then Katrina Kaif!""They are comfortable with me. I am comfortable with them. They are comfortable with each other, and the audiences are comfortable looking at them, and they love looking at them. They love watching them together. They are two very good-looking people. I feel when there are two very good-looking people together, half the battle is won. Their fans adore their pairing and their fans adore their chemistry together on screen, and there is great respect, love, and adulation for each other's work and each other as people," Vaibhavi continued.Makers on Monday unveiled the full song.Taking to Instagram, Salman Khan shared the video and wrote, "Hope you like the song...#LekePrabhuKaNaam OUT NOW. #Tiger3 arriving in cinemas on 12th November. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu."The dance track has been composed by Pritam, lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya and sung by Arijit Singh and Nikhita Gandhi. 'Leke Prabhu Ka Naam' marks the first collaboration between Salman and Arijit Singh.The film, which is directed by Maneesh Sharma and also stars Emraan Hashmi, will hit the theatres this Diwali.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Dharma Productions (@dharmamovies)In the video, director Karan Johar could be seen enjoying with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt during the shooting.In one of the clips, the 'Ram-Leela' actor could be seen giving a massage to choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant as they were shooting in Kashmir.Soon after the makers dropped the video, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons."alia is simply the cutest person I've ever seen," a fan commented.Another fan wrote, "Total fun shooting ""BTS looks like you guys have a blast," a fan wrote.Starring Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi in the lead roles, the film is set to hit the theatres on July 28.The trailer took us into the lives of Rocky Randhawa and Rani Chatterjee, whose lifestyles are diametrically opposed. While Rocky is a Punjabi lad from a wealthy Punjabi family, Rani comes from a Bengali household where knowledge and intelligence are valued above all else. And they fall in love but soon the couple realizes that their families don't like each other. Then Rocky and Rani decide to 'Switch' and live with each other families to impress them.'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' promises to be a wholesome, big-screen entertainer, blending Johar's storytelling finesse with an impressive ensemble cast, grandeur and music. There were also many scenes of the two romancings and fighting, celebrating all kinds of festivals with their families, and possibly a wedding.'Rocky Aur Rani...' marks Karan's return to director's chair after over six years.The film marks Ranveer and Alia's second collaboration after their hit film 'Gully Boy'.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Yash Raj Films (@yrf)Talking about the track, Deepika said, "I have been very fortunate to be a part of some iconic songs and I think every time you are given this opportunity as a performer you want to feel confident, you want to look great, you want to give it your all. So, I have always wanted to work with her (choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant) and it finally happened and I was nervous because I've heard that she's really strict but it actually turned out to be completely the opposite."The song was shot in Spain.Recalling dancing to the catchy lyrics, Deepika added, "We had to shoot for five days if I'm not mistaken. It was not easy, the weather was really difficult but Vaibhavi kept the mood light. She made sure everyone was taken care of. Somewhere deep down inside you always hope that people standing around you will start dancing. It happened with both of our songs - they (Spanish dancers and crew) didn't know the language but something about that emotion would connect like a celebration. It was so lovely to see that beyond a point movies, cinema, music they truly transcend borders. These songs in particular truly did that."The song is a hit but it also faced criticism from a section of people, who in particular objected to Deepika wearing an orange swimsuit in it. A slew of activists in several parts of the country even staged a protest and set effigies of Deepika and Shah Rukh on fire.However, the boycott call failed to dent 'Pathaan's run at the theatres as it shattered records ever since it was released on January 25. The film is about to enter the Rs 1000-crore club at the worldwide box office collection.

Vaibhavi Merchant, who is known to present the hottest versions of leading ladies on screen - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'Kajra Re' from 'Bunty Aur Babli', Katrina Kaif in 'Kamli' from 'Dhoom 3 'to the scintillating Deepika in Besharam Rang.She shared the experience of doing the first song with Deepika and how she made it special with her choreography.Talking about the same, she said, "In my body of work, I have probably consciously made an effort to ensure that the female leads are always presented very aesthetically. For instance, with Ash (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) in Kajra Re, I made it a point to kind of enhance the expressions in the way she did her adaakari. In Kamli with Katrina again, I kept in my what Katrina would look great doing."Vaibhavi added, "One must always study the actor you're choreographing for because it doesn't matter if the movement looks great on me or my assistants, but it must look fantastic on the actor."The choreographer continued, "Strangely, I've never been able to choreograph something for Deepika until Besharam Rang. So, this is my first song with Deepika and I knew I had to do something really special for this one. It was very endearing for me to see her approach me and say finally we get to work with each other and I said Deepika I truly want to make this very special for you because this is our first and I don't want to shoot a better song than this for you in future.""She went all out in making Deepika look the hottest heroine that India has ever seen on screen. She says, "I wanted to go all out to present her in a way that she has never been presented before. I must give it to Shaleena Nathani for the costumes. Deepika has a great rapport with her and I was pleasantly surprised to see her being so comfortable in her own skin. She owns the song and she is looking gorgeous in every frame," Vaibhavi said.She added, "Deepika put in a lot of hard work to look the way she is looking in Besharam Rang. She had an entire crew - dietitian, her physical trainer and the stunning costumes by Shaleena. I was mighty impressed with the way she just approached all the costumes she's like, yeah, she's cool to wear this, she's cool to wear that. So, I think that really triggered a certain style in which this song should be shot. Because I was like, I can't make her wear those costumes and make her do steps in a way that we usually shoot songs."'Besharam Rang' was shot in Spain's most gorgeous coastal towns Mallorca, Cadiz and Jerez. Shah Rukh Khan portrays a gun-toting spy with a license to kill in the upcoming action-thriller film, which is set to release on January 25, 2023, in three languages.SRK and Deepika are one of the biggest on-screen pairings in the history of Indian cinema given their epic blockbusters like 'Om Shanti Om', 'Chennai Express' and 'Happy New Year'.

For the theme song in Viacom 18's Bombay Talkies which features stars, old and new, living and deceased, and footage from vintage classic films, choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant had to seek and obtain as many as 80 NOCs (No Objection certificates) from producers whose clippings have been used for the number.

Apparently, Vaibhavi had to convince each producer to part with the footage required for the song.

That she could actually pull off this feat amazes Vaibhavi. "Believe me, it wasn't easy. Fot the footage used in the song from films in the black-and-white and the coloured era we had go from door-to-door asking producers and their surviving kin for consent. There were 80 permissions to be had. Most of the producers I approached were sweet. They understood the importance of what was being done. Having gotten permission to use footage was not the toughest part. Harder still was the fact that the song required so many visual special-effects." Vaibhavi has lost quite a few kilos doing the number. "It has been two months of non-stop work for this song with practically no sleep. I am looking like a hag. I've to hit the gym. But first I must catch up on some sleep. I've forgotten what my bed looks like." Shah Rukh Khan's production company Red Chillies managed to do the needful in record time. Says Vaibhavi, "Around 3500 frames, 19 singers, a 100 dancers, a 100 members of the crew, 20 extremely supportive stars. And of course the 80 NOCs from kind producers. That's what we got together for this song. I think I should just retire after this." But no. Vaibhavi is planning to direct her first film soon. Contrary to rumours it won't star her best friend Rani Mukerji.

Reacting angrily to these rumours Vaibhavi says, "I just don't get it. I think I belong to another era. Something seems terribly in the way people make assumptions these days. I will make the film I want to and the way I want with the actors who suit my script. Rumours about Rani being in my film are false. The cast will be decided once the script is ready." At the moment Vaibhavi would now have to concentrate on choreographing for Dhoom 3. "That's a huge responsibility. Once that's done in August I will think of my own film."

Watch Promo: Bombay Talkies