Sushmita Sen had a small role as the Chemistry teacher Miss Chandni Chopra in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Main Hoon Na (2004). However, her chemistry with Shah Rukh, and her red saree in one scene from the film, remain iconic. In a new podcast conversation with Divya Jain, Sushmita shared the BTS story of her wearing the red saree on set, while Farah told her that her character would wear sarees throughout the entirety of the film.

What Sushmita shared

Sushmita said, “That red saree I was made to wear… it was freezing cold. On top of that, Farah Khan put a massive storm fan because Chandni’s hair needs to fly all the time. If Chandni is in the classroom, her hair is flying; if she’s crying, her hair is flying; even if it’s raining, her hair is flying. It was a mandatory requirement for the character.”

She went on to add, “When she told me I would be in a saree for the entire film, I said, ‘Please don’t do this to me. This is my first film with Shah Rukh; I want to wear 50,000 different costumes.’ But she was like, ‘Trust me, you’re in a saree and that’s it. The day I wore that red saree and walked out—the first change ever—Farah looked at me and said, ‘Kya lungi baandhi hai (Why have you worn it as a lungi)? Geeta, take her back.’ After that, Geeta tied it really low. I was worried the whole time—‘Bas yeh gir na jaye (It must not fall)!’ The pallu was kept very long.”

About Main Hoon Na

Main Hoon Na was written and directed by Farah Khan, marking her directorial debut. The film also starred Suniel Shetty, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan. It follows Major Ram Sharma (Shah Rukh), who is sent on an undercover mission as a university student to protect a general’s daughter (Amrita) from a dangerous rogue soldier.

Ram falls in love with the chemistry professor, Chandni (Sushmita). Initially scheduled for release in 2003, Main Hoon Na released on April 30, 2004, and received positive reviews from critics.