Aryan Khan’s directorial debut, The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, has been making waves since its release. While the series has grabbed attention for taking sly digs at Bollywood and exposing its darker side, it’s the ending that has truly left fans talking. The climax features the protagonist, Aasman Khan, discovering he is the illegitimate son of Neeta Singh (played by Mona Singh) and Ajay Talvar (played by Bobby Deol). But what really caught everyone’s eye was Mona Singh appearing in Bobby Deol’s iconic song Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela.
Mona Singh or the OG girl?
As soon as the finale scene dropped online, fans rushed to check if Mona Singh had actually danced in the original track. Turns out, Aryan Khan had pulled off a masterstroke. Using the original 1997 song from Gupt featuring Bobby Deol, he digitally replaced one of the two main dancers with Mona Singh using VFX.
So, who was the original dancer—the OG girl? It was none other than Bhanu Khan, the queen of Bollywood dance in the 1990s, who featured in numerous cult songs but largely stayed in the background.
Bhanu Khan: Bollywood’s forgotten dancing queen
Bhanu Khan’s moves made her stand out even as a background dancer. Apart from Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela, she featured in chartbusters like Tere Ishq Mein Naachenge (Raja Hindustani, 1996), Gutur Gutur (Dalaal, 1993), Ram Kasam Mera Bada Naam Ho Gaya (Gumrah, 1993), and Doodh Ban Jaaoongi Malai Ban Jaaoongi (Sarhad). Despite her recognition in the 1990s, very little is known about her today, making Aryan’s nod to her even more special.
Song sees massive resurgence
Bobby Deol’s Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela has remained a cult classic over the years. Following The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, the song has seen a massive spike in popularity, garnering over 7 million new views, according to Hindustan Times. Sung by Udit Narayan and composed by Viju Shah, it also trended on Spotify and Instagram over the weekend.
