“I was studying in school in Chandigarh when Yash Chopra cast me for Trishul,” says actress Poonam Dhillon on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs

MUMBAI : Zee TV’s popular singing reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs has been winning over everyone courtesy the amazing performances by the wonderful contestants. While the supremely talented kids have left no stone unturned to entertain the judges and the viewers, the special visits by celebrity guests on the show have truly been like a cherry on the cake. After welcoming the Kakkar siblings, the legendary composer Sajid Khan and the King of Comedy Govinda, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs is all set to host the famous and gorgeous actresses Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon in the next episode. With such iconic beauties of B-Town in the house, the upcoming episode will see the contestants performing to popular and evergreen tracks to woo the judges as well as the guests.

During the shoot, while each and every contestant put in their best to recreate the golden era of 70s and 80s on the stage, it was contestants Gurkirat and Saumya who happened to impress actor Poonam Dhillon and make her nostalgic about a very special memory of that period. As they crooned to iconic songs from her first two films - Trishul and Noorie, Poonam took a trip down memory lane and recollected the period which marked her debut in Bollywood. “I was studying in a school in Chandigarh when Yash Chopra discovered me and cast me for Trishul. The movie starred big actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini amongst others and he was looking to cast a fresh face alongside them. He had just seen my photos and he came over to convince me and my parents.  I was just 15 and a half at that time and my plan was to only complete this film and return to Chandigarh to resume my education. I had no plans of doing any film thereafter, but shortly after I returned to Chandigarh after having completed Trishul, he tempted me with an offer for Noorie. I once again travelled from Chandigarh to Mumbai for this film and the rest as they say is history and I never wanted to go back,” revealed Poonam with a faint smile.

(ALSO READ : "Drank 25 cups of tea in 17 hours to sing Jumma Chumma song" reveals Sudesh Bhosale on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs)

Sharing a rather amusing anecdote during the show, Poonam recalled one of her most memorable song shoots and it was with none other than with Jackie Shroff. Reminiscing that moment, Poonam shared, “Jackie and I have an internal joke that dogs are lucky for me and this is from the time we shot for one of our most memorable songs for Teri Meherbaniyan. Both our characters die and a dog who was actually the lead character of this film is imagining a romantic tale between us in this song. Apart from being an equally sweet and romantic track, it was by far the most unique song I had ever shot for and it turned out to be a hit. My second film Noorie too had a part involving a dog and I am just grateful for having that song sung so beautifully. Truly, dogs are quite lucky for me,”

With Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure in the house, we are sure this evergreen special will be exceptional and something viewers should watch. It will be full of melodies, memories and surprises.

So tune in to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs this Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm, only on Zee TV!

(ALSO READ : Iconic actress Poonam Dhillon recognises Li'l Champ Madhav from Rafi Nights in Chandigarh)