‘A giant fan was used...’: Designer recalls Pooja Bedi’s iconic ‘flying skirt’ scene in ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’

Back in 1992, Mansoor Khan’s sports drama ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ struck a chord with audiences and gave Bollywood some unforgettable moments. One such scene that remains etched in memory is Pooja Bedi’s recreation of Marilyn Monroe’s legendary ‘flying skirt’ shot. Recently, celebrity stylist Ashley Rebello, who designed the costumes, recalled how the crew brainstormed and experimented with various ideas to bring that glamorous sequence to life.

Pooja Bedi’s film marked Ashley Rebello’s Bollywood debut

In a conversation with Beyond the Frame host Avinash Tripathi, Ashley revealed that ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ marked his debut project in Bollywood. Before stepping into the film industry, he used to sell hand-painted T-shirts. During one such delivery to Mansoor Khan’s office, the filmmaker was so taken by his designs that he offered Ashley the opportunity to create the costumes for the film.

Pooja Bedi’s movie led to an accidental career start

Recalling the moment, he said, “One day, I went to Mansoor Khan‘s office to deliver some T-shirts and his secretary asked me to go inside and meet him. I thought I have never met him, Why does he want to meet me? I went inside. He thought that I am there for auditions for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. But I told him that I am there to deliver the T-shirts. He then asked if I myself made those T-shirts, and I said yes. He really liked my T-shirts and my sense of style. He asked me to make costumes for the film. This was a very accidental beginning in the industry for me.”

Pooja Bedi’s ‘flying skirt’ scene was created using a giant fan

Further, as he spoke about the team’s efforts to recreate Marilyn Monroe’s iconic moment, Ashley mentioned, “Mansoor wanted to recreate the Marilyn Monroe skirt flying scene. We tried blowing the skirt with the blower, but the skirt was not flying. I remade the dress with a lighter cloth, but it still wasn’t flying. Then we got a big fan that is used to create dust storms on set but that blew so strongly. I told them to quickly capture the shot so that the later part when the wind blows very strongly can be cut. It was shot so quickly and when the film released, it instantly became iconic."


"Pooja Bedi is bindas and even at that time her thinking was very forward and she was just focused on work,” he concluded.

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