Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 26, 2014)

When Karan Johar decided to add a special song to his Emraan Hashmi-starrer Ungli (Ungli pe nachalein), he chose choreographer Feroz Khan, who had earlier done songs like Maa da ladla (Dostana) and Abhi mujh mein kahin (Agneepath) for his production house.

"Not only that, I was a background dancer in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Later on, I began my career by assisting Farah Khan. She has taught me a lot, spanning all genres," says Feroz who recently choreographed Engine Ki Seeti and Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai from the Sonam Kapoor-starrer Khoobsurat.

With Ungli pe nachalein, the choreographer wanted to break away from the usual treatment of a special number and did away with background dancers.

"We got a few international models on board. We spent nearly a week rehearsing the steps with them. I also taught them basic Hindi as they had to lip-sync the lyrics," he recalls.

But wasn't it difficult to get Emraan dancing as he is not really known for foot-tapping numbers or fluid moves?

"Which is why if you notice, he is not really doing the jhatkas and the matkas. An Emraan Hashmi song involves him looking at the camera. That's enough," he says, before adding, "However, I did add a signature step. But it's an easy one. So Emraan could pick it up in a few hours."

As far as putting together the set was concerned, Feroz reveals that the mood was kept 'subtle' as "we didn't want it to look like a replica of every other song."

He says, "Alcohol flowing in a club with women slowly dancing around - that's so overdone. It is something that I consciously wanted to avoid, but you've to keep in mind that at the end of the day it has to be an eye-catching number.

However, since Karan's banner is known for doing songs with dignity. They are never raunchy. To ensure that, I kept my steps basic and emphasised the mood - earthen coloured set and dark lighting to go with it. The end result is gorgeous."

Isn't this the same song for which Sunny Leone was approached but later dropped as Emraan refused to dance with the former adult star?

"I don't know about all that. When I came on board, we were certain that the song required models. I personally auditioned them so that I could understand their body language.

And what was Tarun Mansukhani's contribution, who was specially bought in to direct the number?

"He was there on the set as he works for Karan's company. But as a choreographer, the responsibility of getting the song's visual as well as the treatment right, was entirely my responisbility. And I'm quite proud of the end result," concludes Feroz.

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; November 12, 2014)

The makers of Ungli recently shot for a promotional song with Emraan Hashmi and a bevy of international models.

Now we hear the number has some sexually suggestive scenes with the female models seducing each other. A source says, “The song called Ungli Pe Nachalein has the models dancing with Emraan and cosying up to one another. Some of the steps are quite bold. The models are even shown to be sharing a kiss for a couple of seconds. So far, no one has gone so bold in their promotional songs.” The source adds that the film is centered on a group of rebellious youngsters goes against the system to support some social causes. “It has nothing to do with the LGBT community. But the storyline was such that we decided to include the song,” the source explains.

It is said that the scenes may not be highlighted in the song, at least for the television promos. Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions, says, “In keeping with the film’s fun element, we decided to tap into Emraan’s sensual side. He is the only actor how could have pulled this off tastefully.”

In the meanwhile…

Rumour mills suggest that Randeep Hooda, Kangana Ranaut, Neil Bhoopalam and Angad Bedi are also part of Ungli but not all of them are promoting it.

A source says, “When the film’s release date was announced, most of them had moved on to other projects.
The decision to release the film this month was also conveyed to them late and they could not make time for the promotional activities.”

So far, only Emraan Hashmi and Shraddha Kapoor, who has done an item number, have been part of the marketing plan. “Kangana and Randeep were not informed about the promotions. Kangana is currently working on two projects. Moreover, her role in the film is short,” the source adds.

The film’s spokesperson says, “Everyone is cooperative and some have gone out of their way to adjust their respective schedules for promoting Ungli.”