Shilpa Shirodkar reveals why she lost Chaiyya Chaiyaa to Malaika Arora: ‘They thought I was too fat’

Actor Shilpa Shirodkar has said that she could not feature in the iconic song Chaiyya Chaiyya because she was considered ‘too fat’. Shilpa’s statement comes after filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan revealed that Malaika Arora was not the first choice for the hit Dil Se song. (Also read: Malaika Arora was not the first choice for Chaiyya Chaiyya, Shilpa Shetty and Shilpa Shirodkar were)
On the first episode of Moving In With Malaika, Farah said that Shilpa Shetty, Shilpa Shirdokar and a few others were approached for the song before it finally went to Malaika. Chaiyya Chaiyya, which made Malaika famous, featured her and Shah Rukh Khan, along with background dancers, dancing on a moving train.

Speaking about the song, Shilpa told ETimes in a new interview, “I was considered for Chaiyya Chaiyya. But apparently, they thought I was too fat so they offered it to Malaika. I feel sad that I didn’t get a chance to do this iconic number, but I guess it is all destiny.”

She also said that she was disappointed to miss a chance to work with Shah Rukh Khan, and added, “Obviously, it was disappointing, but then I got the privilege of sharing screen space with him in Gaja Gamini for just one scene. So my dream came true.”
Talking about the song from Mani Ratnam’s 1998 film, Farah said on the show, “You’re the Chaiyya Chaiyya girl. But luckily for you, some five heroines had refused to climb on the train. Malaika was nowhere on the radar. We approached Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Shilpa Shirodkar, and 2-3 other people.” The filmmaker-choreographer said the others actors, who were approached, were either not available or had a phobia of trains.

Shilpa earlier featured in films such as Khuda Gawah, Kishen Kanhaiya, Hum, and Gopi Kishan among many others.