Bollywood: Farah Khan recalls choreographing for Shakira in 2006

Bollywood choreographer and filmmaker Farah Khan has been the brains behind the dance moves of countless Indian songs — and even a performance by pop star Shakira. No, we’re not lying.

Khan was a special guest on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ along with Raveena Tandon, when host Sharma asked her about the time she choreographed the Colombian singer for a Bollywood-inspired performance of the 2006 song ‘Hips Don’t Lie’.

“I was called to New York because she wanted to perform the song in Bollywood style,” she said on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’. “Thus, I went there and I choreographed ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ for her.”

Shakira had performed the track at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2006, complete with an elaborate Indian outfit and desi background dancers. The singer even won Best Choreography for her original dance.

At the time, Khan told BBC that Shakira learnt the choreography the day before the actual performance.

“Shakira is one of the most fabulous dancers in the world now, and since the performance was highly talked about, there was tremendous pressure to do well,” she said in a September 2006 interview.

Khan added: “She came to New York the night before the final performance from her concert in Canada and rehearsed with me for four hours. After we left, she continued to practise for another hour at least.”

Talking about the dance style, Khan had said: “She wanted a lot of semiclassical routines with typical Indian steps, and we even did the famous Goddess Step with her standing in front, and all the dancers’ hands outstretched at the back.”

Khan started her career in choreography with 1992 movie ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’. She went onto work on the dances for iconic movies such as ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Dil Se..’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Monsoon Wedding’. She has won six Filmfare Awards for Best Choreography and an Indian National Film Award for Best Choreography.