Camera tricks

Salman Khan will have a hook step of showing his finger and moving his hand. He is seen with choreographer Rajeev Surti (right) and his assistant

The toughest thing about shooting the title track of O Teri for choreographer Rajeev Surti was using a Mosys camera and capturing Salman Khan for trail camera tricks (showing several images in one frame). Surti used trail camera tricks in two parts of the song, with one showing seven Salman Khans in a frame!
“We had to capture Salman seven times, so he had to perform seven times, and each shot had different steps. Also when we use trail camera tricks, the actor has to be very careful about the cue markings on the floor. If the first shot requires his moves between marking A and B, he cannot tread on marking C! This process is slow and painstaking, but Salman, who is known for chipping in his own dancing style to his songs and adapting to any dance form, was very patient, since capturing the moves was taking a long time,” said Surti who has earlier choreographed Khan in Wanted and London Dreams.
This song will also see Pulkit Samrat and newcomer Bilal Amrohi doing B Boying (high-energy breakdance steps)!
For actors Pulkit Samrat and Bilal Amrohi, dancing with Salman Khan was no less than an O Teri moment. Ask Samrat about it, and he says, “We were dancing next to him like his fans, as if we were some contest winners. But I was always the calm one on the set, while Bilal was very hyper.” Bilal Amrohi who makes his debut with the film was quite nervous about sharing screen space with Khan. “Salman Khan in the same frame! It was really a nerve-wrecking experience. Thank God, it was just a song, because I don’t think I’ll be able to deliver any dialogue in front of him. He sensed my nervousness and on the third take, Salman bhai just pulled me close, and said, ‘Chill! Let’s just have some fun’ and after that, doing the song was a blast.”
Directed by debutant Umesh Bisht, O Teri also stars Sarah Jane Dias, Sara Loren and Mandira Bedi. It releases on March 28.

Getting it right

According to producer Atul Agnihotri, the song represents the whole film, which is why it was a huge task for him, to get it right! “It was a very big production job for me, because the time of preparation, filming and delivering it, was quite tight. Plus, since it also represents the scale of the film so there couldn’t be any compromises. But it’s always memorable working with Salman, because of his commitment with which he comes on the set – he’s all heart, and so selfless. Even sharing lunch with him on the set was memorable!”