Choreographer Ahmed Khan got his big break in the industry at the age of 19 with Ram Gopal Varma`s Rangeela. Until then, he had been assisting ace choreographer Saroj Khan. Everything changed for him when Varma offered him the position of choreographer for Rangeela, along with pay on par with the top choreographers of the 1990s.
Ahmed Khan recalls being offered Rangeela at 19
Speaking to The Print, Ahmed Khan recalled how much Varma offered him for the film. “As an assistant to Saroj Khan, I was being paid Rs 500 per day for a song. Ram Gopal Varma offered me Rs 25,000 per song. I made Rs 1.5 lakh, and the first thing I did was buy a car.”
He bought a white Tata Sierra with his first big pay cheque. Interestingly, the car was later used in a song from the 1997 film Aflatoon, featuring Urmila Matondkar.
Rangeela first offered to Saroj Khan
Rangeela completed 30 years this September and is set to re-release in November this year. In an interview with India Today, Khan—now also a filmmaker—said the film was initially offered to Saroj Khan, who couldn’t take it up due to prior commitments. “It’s my first film, which gave me a break into this industry as an independent choreographer. And I feel proud and happy that I am still relevant and still working. That makes me feel even more proud that I was part of such a lucky film.”
“I was on the set one day when Ram Gopal Varma felt I would be the apt choice to continue. I wasn’t prepared because I was just 19 years old. I was scared to handle A.R. Rahman’s first Hindi film. I wasn’t ready to step out as an independent dance director. But it was his boldness, conviction, and foresight—he felt I was ready. He took the risk, not me,” Ahmed said.
Khan added that despite it being his big break, he had a strong support system in Varma. “Aamir knew me from when I was about 10 years old, so that was an icebreaker. He and my brothers were friends, and I had worked with him as a child actor. Jackie Shroff also knew me from Mr India, where he would meet all the kids on set. Later, I did many films as an assistant choreographer and taught all of them. While it was a big feat, I didn’t face challenges because Ram Gopal Varma was a strong pillar for me. He was by my side every time and supported me throughout,” he shared.