Neena Gupta recalls feeling embarrassed after Subhash Ghai demanded she wear ‘padded bra’ for Choli Ke Peeche

Neena Gupta in her recently released autobiography recalled filming the famous song and dance number Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai, from the 1993 film Khal Nayak directed by Subhash Ghai.

Neena Gupta’s autobiography, titled Sach Kahun Toh, was launched by actor Kareena Kapoor on Monday. In the book, the actor writes about both her personal and professional struggles, and shares interesting anecdotes from her colourful life.

In an excerpt from the book, shared by Zoom, Neena said that Subhash Ghai demanded that she wear a ‘padded blouse’ for the song sequence, leaving her embarassed.

“When I first heard the song, I knew it was catchy. But when Subhash Ghai told me what my role would be, I wasn’t so keen any more. I liked the fact that my part was sung by my friend Ila Arun, with whom I had acted in many films. But I couldn’t do it,” she wrote.

“They put me in a tribal Gujarati outfit and sent me to Subhash Ghai for approval. ‘No! No! No! No!’ he shouted. ‘Kuch bharo.’ I was so embarrassed. In my opinion, he was referring to my choli and stating that it needed to be filled. It wasn’t anything personal, I knew. He had visualised something . . . bigger for the rendition. I didn’t shoot that day. But the next day I was presented to him in a different outfit, with a bra that was heavily padded, and he seemed satisfied. Subhash Ghai was very particular about what he wanted, which was why he was such a good director.”

Also read: Neena Gupta tells all about failed first marriage that lasted less than a year: ‘I became too ambitious’

This isn’t the only anecdote about a filmmaker that Neena wrote about. She also recalled how David Dhawan made her cry on set one time. In an interview with Film Companion, she said that Juhi Chawla consoled her after the incident, and that she holds no grudges against the director.