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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor audiences who grew up watching Sonali Bendre<\/a> light up Hindi cinema\u2019s song-driven era, it may come as a surprise that dance numbers once filled the actor with fear. From chartbusters like Humma Humma to Aankhon Mein Base Ho Tum, Bendre became one of the most memorable faces of the \u201990s and early 2000s musical landscape. Yet, behind the glamour, she says songs were the most intimidating aspect of filmmaking for her.\u201cThe nightmare situation in movies was the song. I can\u2019t tell you what a nightmare that was. I\u2019m not a trained dancer,\u201d Bendre admitted. While she enjoyed tracks that naturally blended into the story, the pressure of choreography would leave her deeply anxious. \u201cMost of my songs are more like stories rather than part of the narrative. And I liked the songs as long as they were part of the narrative because that didn\u2019t give me as much anxiety as, \u2018You have to dance.\u2019 It still gives me nightmares. I can\u2019t sleep the whole night due to anxiety because I don\u2019t know how to\u2026\u201dDespite those fears, Bendre went on to feature in some of Bollywood\u2019s most popular songs of that period. However, she insists that none of it ever felt effortless. \u201cTrust me, it was not effortless at all. It was scary.\u201dShe recalled that a major turning point came while working on English Babu Desi Mem, starring Shah Rukh Khan<\/a> and directed by Praveen Nischol. Before signing the film, Bendre was upfront about her lack of dance training.\u201cWhen I did \u2018English Babu Desi Mem,\u2019 I was aware I didn\u2019t know dancing. So, when I heard the story and script, I told Pravin Nishchol, \u2018Okay, I really want to do it, but I don\u2019t know how to dance, so what are we going to do?\u2019\u201dWhat followed left a lasting impact on the actor. Legendary choreographer Saroj Khan<\/a> was reportedly unimpressed during their first interaction. \u201cThat was my first time, and Saroj ji said, \u2018Heroine ko toh naachna bhi nahi aata,\u2019 (the heroine doesn\u2019t even know how to dance), and she stormed out of Satyam Hall, saying, \u2018Who is this? I can\u2019t teach this one.\u2019\u201dBendre admitted that the incident shook her confidence during the early days of her career. \u201cBut that was the ambition. When she said that, it was like, \u2018What the hell?\u2019 You start wrestling with the imposter syndrome.\u201dIt was then that choreographer and filmmaker Ahmed Khan, who was assisting Saroj Khan at the time, stepped in to help her. \u201cAhmed Khan would pick me up before I went to the set in the early morning. We would rehearse together. He would bribe me with chocolates and get the work done from me. And then I would go on set, and that\u2019s how I started learning what I was supposed to shoot for in \u2018English Babu Desi Mem.\u2019\u201dOver the years, Bendre says the fear gradually transformed into motivation. Instead of chasing perfection, she focused on improving with every performance. \u201cIt became about improving with every film, every rehearsal and every song that once terrified me.\u201d<\/div>\n