Sonali recalled that Saroj Khan was unimpressed by her. (Photo: Instagram/Sonali Bendre, Express Archive)Sonali Bendre may have looked completely at ease on screen, but the actor says dance numbers were the one part of filmmaking she dreaded the most. Despite starring in several memorable Bollywood songs through the ’90s and early 2000s, Sonali revealed that performing in them often left her anxious because she had never been formally trained as a dancer.Recalling those early years, she also shared how legendary choreographer Saroj Khan once refused to teach her during the making of English Babu Desi Mem.In a conversation with Variety India, Sonali Bendre admitted that song sequences were the most stressful part of filmmaking for her. “The nightmare situation in movies was the song. I can’t tell you what a nightmare that was. I’m not a trained dancer,” she said.The actor explained that she was more comfortable when songs naturally blended into the story, but choreography itself would leave her overwhelmed.“Most 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’t give me as much anxiety as, ‘You have to dance.’ It still gives me nightmares. I can’t sleep the whole night due to anxiety because I don’t know how to…,” she told Variety India.ALSO READ: Madhavan gave no free time to son Vedant till he was 15: ‘I learnt this rule at a wild Canadian town’When Saroj Khan said she can’t teach Sonali BendreOne particular experience from the early days of her career stayed with her. While signing English Babu Desi Mem, Sonali said she had already warned director Praveen Nischol that dancing was not her strength.Story continues below this ad“When I did ‘English Babu Desi Mem,’ I was aware I didn’t know dancing. So, when I heard the story and script, I told Pravin Nishchol, ‘Okay, I really want to do it, but I don’t know how to dance, so what are we going to do?’”Things became more intimidating once Saroj Khan came on board as choreographer. Sonali recalled that the veteran choreographer was unimpressed from the very beginning.“That was my first time, and Saroj ji said, ‘Heroine ko toh naachna bhi nahi aata,’ (the heroine doesn’t even know how to dance), and she stormed out of Satyam Hall, saying, ‘Who is this? I can’t teach this one.’”The incident shook Sonali’s confidence at a time when she was still trying to establish herself in the industry. “But that was the ambition. When she said that, it was like, ‘What the hell?’ You start wrestling with the imposter syndrome,” she said.Story continues below this adAhmed Khan helped SonaliThe actor also remembered how choreographer Ahmed Khan, who was then assisting Saroj Khan, stepped in to help her through the difficult phase.“Ahmed 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’s how I started learning what I was supposed to shoot for in ‘English Babu Desi Mem.’”About Sonali BendreBefore entering films, Sonali Bendre began her career as a model and was later selected through the Stardust Talent Search. She made her acting debut with Aag opposite Govinda and went on to appear in films such as Diljale, Duplicate, Major Saab, Zakhm, Sarfarosh and Hum Saath-Saath Hain. She also enjoyed a successful run in Telugu cinema.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Saroj KhanSonali Bendre