Actress Shilpa Shirodkar has disclosed a harrowing behind-the-scenes account from the making of 'Sanam Mere Sanam', the beloved romantic track from the 1991 blockbuster 'Hum', revealing that she suffered a torn thigh ligament during the shoot alongside Govinda in Mauritius — and still returned to finish the song.

What Happened on the Mauritius Beach

Shirodkar shared the story while appearing on the dance reality show India's Best Dancer, in conversation with host Haarsh Limbachiyaa. She described how the song was filmed with a skeletal crew of roughly 10 people — including two lightmen, choreographer Chinni Master, Rekha ji, the cameraman, Govinda (referred to affectionately as 'Chichi'), and herself.

For sequences where her saree needed to be pulled across the sand, a lightman would physically tug at her leg from below frame. During one such take, the lightman missed his mark and accidentally pushed her leg through a screw mechanism on set. 'My whole leg got badly scraped,' she recalled, 'but there was no scope to stop because we were on a beach and had to finish the song.'

Spirit Gum as the Only First Aid

Shirodkar noted that on-set medical support was virtually non-existent in that era. 'Back in those days, we had spirit gum, and there were no doctors available on sets. No matter what happened, spirit gum used to be our saviour. We would apply spirit gum to seal the wound and keep shooting,' she said. The makeshift remedy allowed filming to continue after the first injury.

A second incident, however, proved more serious. She sustained a torn thigh ligament that forced her off the set for one week to ten days. During that period, she remained in her room while the film's climax shoot proceeded without her.

She Returned Limping to Wrap the Schedule

With the schedule deadline looming, Shirodkar returned to the set before she had fully recovered. 'There is a sequence where I am visibly limping because I couldn't walk properly. That is how we managed to finish the song 'Sanam Mere Sanam',' she said. The detail — that a frame of the finished song captures her actual injury — adds an unexpected layer to what audiences long assumed was a breezy romantic sequence.

About the Song and the Film

'Sanam Mere Sanam' was a romantic duet composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi and vocals by Amit Kumar and Alka Yagnik. The film 'Hum', directed by Mukul S. Anand, featured an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Govinda, Kimi Katkar, Deepa Sahi, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher, and Kader Khan. The track featuring Govinda and Shirodkar became one of the film's most popular songs and has endured as a 90s nostalgia favourite.

Shirodkar's account is a rare first-hand window into the working conditions of mainstream Hindi cinema in the early 1990s, when safety protocols on film sets were far less formalised than they are today.