In a gripping recollection, actress
Sonam Khan
revealed how filmmaker
Aditya Chopra
saved her from
drowning
during the shoot of the 1988 film ‘
Vijay
’. The incident, which occurred during the filming of a pivotal scene, could have ended tragically if not for Aditya’s quick intervention.
Sonam Khan, who made her Bollywood debut with ‘Vijay’, starred alongside the legendary Rishi Kapoor.
The movie featured a memorable scene where Sonam had to wear a
bikini
, marking a bold moment in her early career. Reflecting on the shooting of this scene, Sonam during her conversation with News18 disclosed that she nearly drowned that day, only to be saved by Aditya Chopra’s prompt action.
Yash Chopra had informed Sonam about the bikini scene well in advance and had advised her to learn to swim. Despite the filmmaker’s advice, Sonam neglected to learn the same skill. The scene was scheduled to be shot in a hotel pool in Bangalore, and Sonam recalls it as a single-take shot where both she and Rishi Kapoor had to jump into the pool from different directions.
“I never bothered to learn swimming, and we were shooting in a hotel in Bangalore. It was a one-shot scene where Rishi ji was walking from one point, and I walked from another, and we both had to jump into the pool. I didn’t bother to tell anybody that I couldn’t swim, so we both jumped into the pool, and it was a one-shot take,” Sonam recalled.
The actress explained how she panicked upon hitting the water, unable to swim, and started grabbing onto Rishi Kapoor. The film crew initially thought her struggle was part of the scene until Aditya Chopra, recognizing the danger, jumped into the pool fully clothed to rescue her.
“I jumped into the pool and didn’t know how to swim. I was literally grabbing Rishi ji and pulling him down with me. People thought it was part of the shot until Aditya Chopra jumped into the pool and saved me. I could have drowned or unknowingly harmed Rishi ji that day. It was a terrifying experience,” Sonam shared.
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The incident left a lasting impact on Sonam, who confessed that she had never been able to swim since that day. Despite the scare, she expressed gratitude towards Aditya Chopra for his life-saving act. She also remembered how Yash Chopra scolded her for not learning to swim, emphasizing the importance of being prepared.
“Yash ji was very disappointed. He told me, ‘You are a useless girl, not learned how to swim, what are you doing?’ The entire unit was there, but only Aditya realized that I was actually drowning. He jumped in with his clothes and shoes on,” Sonam recounted.
During her career, Sonam starred in 35 films over eight years, earning fame for her roles in ‘Tridev’, ‘Vishwatma’, ‘Ajooba’, ‘Aaj Ke Shahenshah’, and ‘Insaniyat’. Known for her iconic ‘Oye Oye’ song from ‘Tridev’, she retired from Bollywood in 1994. However, Sonam is now considering a comeback, ready to embrace the silver screen once again.
