Vaibhavi Merchant recalls being 'amused' by Besharam Rang controversy: 'There are far more things...' | Exclusive

The National Award-winning choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant has spent more than two decades in the Hindi film industry. Be it Kamli in Dhoom 3 or Dhindhora Baaje Re in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, her inventive and spellbinding dance moves have always been appreciated and celebrated.

Her most recent track is Leke Prabhu Ka Naam from the blockbuster Tiger 3. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif's dance number has become a massive success, just like the film. In an exclusive interview with DNA, Vaibhavi shared her experience of making Salman and Katrina dance to her tunes for the smashing hit.

Talking about her equation with Katrina Kaif, Vaibhavi said, "I have known Katrina even before she joined films. She had briefly come in through someone to train. She has made an immense growth since then and with the amount of hard work she puts in, she has always been at her forefront through her dancing skills. We hae worked together on Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Dhoom 3, and Ek Tha Tiger. We know that with our each song, we have to better ourselves. We owe it to our audiences."

When we asked her if it's a challenge to make Salman Khan dance, she answered, "It is a challenge for anyone to make him dance if you give him steps out of his comfort zone in terms of his body language, body structure and his physicality. You must understand the psyche of the actor and if he is comfortable doing those steps. You need to bring in something that will excite both, Salman and his audiences. Our cinema is about envisioning our superstars to come and do something which is beyond larger than life, and that's what I always attempt to achieve."

Earlier this year, Vaibhavi also choreographed Besharam Rang in Pathaan. Featured on Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, the song went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. But when it came out, it faced a huge amount of backlash and was trolled heavily with people associating Deepika's saffron-coloured bikini with communal undertones.

Sharing her reaction to the whole controversy, Vaibhavi stated, "I have become immune to both, criticism and praise. Initially in my career, I used to work so hard on songs and nobody bothered to appreciate them. Now, as we are living in the times of social media, it's no way possible to please everyone. You get to know that a majority people have liked it and there are a handful few who will troll out of whether it is part of their nature or their agenda."

"Whatever happened with Besharam Rang, eventually on the hindsight, it did what it needed to do, which is it generated not just a conversation but created a havoc. The good part is that the people who believed in it were answering on all our behalf, people realised that it is completely baseless and unnecessary. I was amused by the radicality of it because there are far more things happening in the world which need immediate attention and an actress's costume colour was the least of it", the choreographer concluded.