Winning the National Award for choreographing Aaj Ki Raat from Stree 2 is a milestone Vijay Ganguly says he never expected. While he hoped the song would connect with audiences, he did not anticipate it becoming one of the year’s biggest party anthems.

“When we choreograph, we always hope our work reaches the maximum number of people. But every song has its own fate. Sometimes you’ve done great work, but the song gets cut from the film or never reaches people. For instance, we had shot for a very beautiful song in Chhaava with Vicky (Kaushal) but in the end it got edited. With Aaj Ki Raat, we knew we had done a good job, but we had no idea it would connect with so many people. We just did our job and hoped it worked. And it did.”

He believes the song’s appeal came from its music and the way the choreography carried the same energy visually. “The audio was so good that everyone — from children to older people — connected with it. Once kids connect with a song, it becomes huge because they keep playing it everywhere.”

Ganguly also credits Tamannaah Bhatia for the song’s success. “Tamannaah definitely played a huge role because what people ultimately see is the performer. If she hadn’t performed the way she did, the song wouldn’t have reached where it has today. The biggest credit goes to her.”

A national award that adds to the family legacy

Vijay’s father, filmmaker Anil Ganguly, had won two National Awards. “My father had won two National Awards Best Story for Kora Kagaz (1975) and Best Feature Film in Hindi for Tapasya (1976). This is the third one coming into the house, but my first. It’s the biggest honour in the country.”