3 min readNew DelhiMay 19, 2026 01:50 PM IST
In the recent past, the Hindi film industry has faced some criticism for its ever-increasing budgets, and many producers have openly blamed the stars and their extravagant demands on set, which sometimes include 7-8 vanity vans. But until a couple of decades ago, the idea of vanity vans wasn’t all that popular, and there were times when even the lead stars wouldn’t get a van where they could change their outfits and relax while shooting during outdoor schedules. In a recent interview, actor Daisy Shah recalled the time when Dia Mirza, during her debut film, would have to change her costume in a mall, and do her make-up in the middle of a restaurant.
In a chat with Bollywood Bubble, Daisy recalled the time when she was a background dancer in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, which marked the Bollywood debut of R Madhavan and Dia Mirza. Daisy recalled that they went to South Africa for a schedule where even the lead stars did not have any vanity vans.
“I remember, Dia once had to change her costume during a song so she had to go to a mall to change her outfit. We didn’t have vanity vans. Even the main actors didn’t have them, let alone the dancers, and even the celebrities didn’t have vans at that point. They would look for nearby malls and change there. Or we would be sitting in a restaurant and they would be doing their makeup there, and we would be doing it there too. That’s how things worked then,” she said.
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Talking further about her experience during an international schedule, Daisy recalled that since they went at a time when it was really cold in South Africa, all the dancers would be standing under the lights so they could feel the warmth. The producers took note of that and made their lives easier the next day. “When we would be asked to go for the shot, we would be freezing. But the good part was that the makers did not ignore us. The next day, they got body suits to wear under our costumes so we don’t feel cold,” she said.
In an earlier chat with BBC Hindi, Dia spoke about the lack of amenities on a film set and shared, “When we would go to locations to shoot songs, a basic thing like a toilet wouldn’t be available. We would have to go behind trees, behind rocks, and three people would shield you with large sheets. We wouldn’t have space to change clothes. Basically, we lacked access to privacy, access to basic hygiene.”
The 2001 film Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein was the remake of the Tamil film Minnale. Both films were directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. Alongside Madhavan and Dia, the film also starred Saif Ali Khan, Anupam Kher, among others. Vashu Bhagnani produced the film, which marked Dia’s debut after winning Miss Asia Pacific.
