Aditi Rao Hydari on Her Viral Gajagamini Walk from Heeramandi

Aditi Rao Hydari has captivated audiences with her mesmerizing ‘Gajagamini’ walk from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi. This iconic moment from the song “Saiyaan Hatto Jaao” has been widely shared on social media and recreated on numerous Reels, making it one of the standout scenes from the series.

Aditi Rao Hydari in Heeramandi song "Saiyaan Hatto Jaao".

In an interview, Aditi shared insights into this viral moment, revealing that she wasn’t initially familiar with the specific type of walk. As a Bharatnatyam dancer, she wasn’t trained in this style. Aditi explained, “I want to ask somebody, Sanjay sir, my dance teacher, what is it? Is it the Gajagamini walk, the swan walk? What walk is that I don’t know! I’ll say it was what Sanjay sir asked me to do.” She highlighted that while there are various walks in traditional dance forms, this particular walk was crafted under Bhansali’s direction.

Aditi expressed her amazement at the overwhelming response to her walk on Instagram, with numerous Reels recreating the scene. She described the process of perfecting the walk as a journey, with Bhansali providing meticulous guidance to capture every nuance. “He wanted that dupatta to fall on a particular beat, the head to turn, and the ‘chann’ (sound of the ghungroo) to come exactly on the beat,” she recalled.

Interestingly, Bhansali appreciated Aditi’s appearance when she first auditioned, noting that she wasn’t as petite as usual. Aditi offered to lose the extra weight in 10 days, but Bhansali insisted she retain it, saying she looked beautiful.

Despite Bhansali’s reputation for being demanding, Aditi managed to nail the walk in just a few takes. She revealed that it took “not too many, maybe three or four” takes to perfect the ‘Gajagamini’ walk and about three or four days to complete the entire song sequence.

Heeramandi, featuring a star-studded cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Shekhar Suman, and Fardeen Khan, is now streaming on Netflix. Aditi’s performance, particularly her enchanting walk, continues to be a highlight, captivating viewers worldwide.