A day after his statement that Tamannaah Bhatia was the original choice for Dhurandhar’s chartbusting dance number Shararat, choreographer Vijay Ganguly has clarified that the actor was never ‘rejected’ for the song as she was never seriously in consideration for it.
Vijay Ganguly’s clarification on Tamannaah Bhatia
Shararat is a dance number in Aditya Dhar’s new film Dhurandhar, picturised on Ayesha Khan and Krystle D’Souza. In conversation with Filmygyan, the song’s choreographer Vijay Ganguly said he had Tamannaah in mind for the song, but director Aditya felt two dancers would be better for the song, and they eventually went with Ayesha and Krystle.
Now, taking to Instagram Stories, Vijay has clarified that he did not want to imply that Aditya had rejected Tamannaah.
“I genuinely enjoy conversations around cinema and the many layers that go into making a film. That said, I’ve often refrained from putting myself out there because, at times, words get selectively lifted, misquoted or sensationalised to serve headlines rather than the craft. It’s unfortunate that instead of the conversation staying on the song and the creative intent behind Shararat, the focus has shifted to comparisons between two wonderful artists, with strong and reductive terms like “rejections” being used – something that was never the spirit of what was shared,” he wrote.
Talking about why Tamannaah was not a part of the song, he added, “Cinema is collaborative. It thrives on respect, nuance and context. I hope we can keep the spotlight where it belongs – on the work and the many people who pour their hearts into it. To clarify: Tamannaah Bhatia was never under consideration because her star power is so significant it might have overwhelmed the specific needs of this scene. In Dhurandhar, the music is woven into a high-stakes moment where the tension is key. The makers opted for two performers to keep the focus on the story’s progression. This choice was about protecting the film’s atmosphere and ensuring the narrative remains the hero of the sequence.”
About Shararat and Dhurandhar
Shararat is set during a wedding celebration in the Ranveer Singh-starrer, with the two actors portraying wedding dancers at a posh Karachi wedding.
Dhurandhar is a spy thriller starring Ranveer Singh in the lead, alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, and Sanjay Dutt. The film has been a massive success at the box office, minting ₹872 crore and becoming India’s highest-grossing film of 2025.
