Actor and dancer Jaaved Jaaferi has opened up about one of the most talked-about rumours from the early years of his career.While appearing on the dance reality show India’s Best Dancer, Jaaved looked back at the speculation that claimed he had performed Sanjay Dutt‘s dance portions in the iconic song ‘Tamma Tamma’ from ‘Thanedar’. The veteran actor recalled how the rumour gained traction despite Sanjay Dutt putting in considerable effort to perfect the performance.
Jaaved Jaaferi says the rumour took on a life of its own
Speaking about the long-standing misconception, Jaaved shared that many people believed he had stepped in as Sanjay Dutt’s dance double because of similarities they associated with his dancing style. However, he made it clear that the performance belonged entirely to Sanjay Dutt.Recalling the incident, Jaaved said, “You know, there was a rumour ki maine duplicate kiya hai Sanju ko in ‘Tamma Tamma’. Sanju ne bichare ne itni mehnat karke woh dance kiya tha aur logon ne bola, ‘Arey ye Sanju nahi hai.’”(You know, there was a rumour that I had duplicated Sanju’s style. Poor Sanju had worked so incredibly hard to do that dance, and yet people said, ‘Oh, this isn’t Sanju’s original style. )
Urmila Matondkar explains why fans believed the story
Reacting to Jaaved’s recollection, Urmila Matondkar shared her perspective on why the rumour became so widely accepted. According to her, Jaaved had introduced a style of dancing that audiences had rarely witnessed before. His movements and screen presence were so distinctive that people naturally connected impressive dance performances with him.Sharing her thoughts, Urmila said, “Kyuki inhone jab, ‘Bol Baby Bol Rock N Roll’ kiya tha toh jab woh aaye the, toh tote ud gaye the, because iss tarah ka dance kisi ne dekha hi nahi tha. Kai barson ke baad is tarah ki choreography dancing aayi thi. Aur mujhe lagta hai kabhi-kabhi aadhi choreography inhone khud hi ki hogi because ye unki style hai.”(Because when he did ‘Bol Baby Bol Rock N Roll’ and made his appearance, everyone was completely blown away, because nobody had ever witnessed that kind of dancing before. Such choreography and dancing style had come around after many years. And I feel that sometimes he might have choreographed half of it himself because it is uniquely his style. )Jaaved Jaaferi established himself as one of Bollywood’s most innovative dancers during the late 1980s and 1990s.Featured in Thanedar, Tamma Tamma starred Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit and remains one of Bollywood’s most iconic dance numbers.
