Katrina Kaif is known for several popular Bollywood dance numbers, but her journey as a dancer was not always easy. Choreographer Bosco Martis recently revealed that Katrina was once told by another choreographer that she was “zero” at dancing and should quit. Farah Khan also recalled how Katrina improved over the years and eventually became one of Bollywood’s most recognised dancers.
Bosco and Caesar recently hosted a podcast where they spoke about their journey in choreography and their experiences of working with Farah Khan. During the conversation, Farah recalled working on Sheila Ki Jawani from Tees Maar Khan and said it was the “cheapest” song she had choreographed. She revealed that the song was filmed with only 10 boys and Katrina.
Bosco then said, “Sheila Ki Jawaani was a game changer for Katrina Kaif.” Farah agreed but explained that Katrina was not initially known for her dancing. She recalled that Katrina had earlier appeared in songs such as Touch Me and Just Chill, but had not established herself as a dancer.
Bosco then shared a difficult moment from Katrina’s early career. He said, “Unka bhi kaafi stories hain jahan par unhone itna mehanat kiya tha but choreographer told Katrina, ‘aap zero ho dance mein, toh aapko chodh dena chahiye (They also have many stories where they worked extremely hard, but a choreographer told Katrina, ‘You are zero when it comes to dancing, so you should quit)’.”
Farah reacted to the revelation and said, “Haye bechari, zero toh nahi rahi hogi voh, she must have been 4 or 5, but after Sheila Ki Jawani, she became 9 or 10. After that Chikni Chameli, Kala Chashma came.”
Katrina had earlier spoken about being told that she could not dance. She said the comment made her believe she would never become a good dancer. However, Bosco encouraged her and told her that she only needed to work on herself.
Katrina later delivered songs including Chikni Chameli, Kamli, Kala Chashma, Swag Se Swagat and Afghan Jalebi. She was last seen in Merry Christmas, which released in 2024.
