When Om Puri danced to Hans Raj Hans’s version of Dama Dam Mast Qalandar

During the shoot of Gurinder Chadha’s Partition 1947, Dama Dam Mast Qalandar was played and Om Puri started dancing even though he wasn’t supposed to do that in the particular scene.

Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha has said late actor Om Puri used to dance on Hans Raj Hans’s version of Dama Dam Mast Qalandar that the Punjabi singer has sung in her film Partition: 1947.

A poster of Partition 1947.

Bollywood singers Hariharan (L) and Hansraj Hans (R) and film score composer and singer AR Rahman pose for a photograph during a promotional event for Partition 1947 in Mumbai on July 4.

The historical-drama stars Huma Qureshi and Puri, who died in January this year. Puri played Huma’s father in the movie.

“In the scene, he had his food and is going to bed but the moment Hans Raj Hans started playing, he started dancing. I had to tell him, ‘you don’t have to dance’. He enjoyed the music, culture, enjoying being on the sets. This is the memory I have of him,” Gurinder told reporters at the music launch of the film.

Gurinder Chadha and music composer AR Rahman during the music launch of Partition: 1947.

“I grew up in England and I made a film like this in India. It’s a big deal. The film shows a lot of pain... We do feel terrible about the things we witnessed not just in India, but in Europe or America. We fear for our children, and I have two small children and I want them to live in a world where people love and respect each other,” she said.

The trailer and song give a glimpse into the closeness between Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru but Gurinder said they are not the story’s focus.

“I believe that Nehruji and Lady Mountbatten were very close and had great fondness for each other, and I wanted to show that. I have couple of scenes where they are close and comfortable with each other. I was not interested in knowing anything about this relationship as that is not the story... It takes away from the story of the ordinary people and the main story of Partition,” she added.

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