Jaya Prada recalls 'Tohfa' saree craze, reveals shops ran out of stock after sing with Jeetendra became a hit

Mumbai: Veteran actress Jaya Prada reminisced about the immense craze surrounding the sarees she wore in the iconic song "Pyaar Ka Tohfa" from the 1984 blockbuster Tohfa starring Bollywood superstar Jeetendra.

The actress made the revelation while appearing as a special guest on the dance reality show, India's Best Dancer Season 5, alongside veteran actress Meenakshi Seshadri.

Jaya Prada was left impressed after contestant Ruturaj and choreographer Vaishnavi delivered an energetic performance on the evergreen track "Pyaar Ka Tohfa".

Recalling the phenomenon, Jaya Prada said, "Jaya Prada Saree, almost I think more than three decades yeh gaana hit hote hote itne popular ho gaya. Aur theaters mein bhi yeh gaana jab chal raha tha, toh saare theaters ko saadiyon ka itna demand ho gaya ki dukaano mein saadiyaan nahi mil pa rahi thi. It was so popular aur yeh gaana mein jahaan bhi jaati hoon 'Tohfa Tohfa Tohfa', itna tohfa kahan se leke jaun? Aise hota tha mere sath voh time. I feel mere career mein mere gaano ka yeh jo kitty hain, this is one of the best songs I can say. And I feel really proud of it."

(The 'Jaya Prada Saree' became such a huge phenomenon that, over more than three decades, as this song kept becoming more and more popular, there was an overwhelming demand for those sarees. Whenever the song played in theatres, the craze was so immense that shops would run out of sarees. It became incredibly popular, and wherever I went, people would greet me with 'Tohfa, Tohfa, Tohfa!' I would wonder, 'Where can I keep bringing so many gifts from?' That's how it was during those days. Among all the songs in my career, I can confidently say this is one of the very best, and I feel extremely proud of it)

Adding to the conversation, Meenakshi Seshadri credited South Indian filmmakers, especially director K. Raghavendra Rao, for bringing a distinctive visual style to Hindi cinema's song picturisations. She also praised the elegant sarees featured in "Pyaar Ka Tohfa", and called them a reflection of the creativity and aesthetic sensibilities that South Indian filmmakers introduced to Bollywood.

Talking about the iconic song, Pyaar Ka Tohfa, it featured in the 1984 released Tohfa, and became one of the biggest musical sensations of the decade.

Featuring Jeetendra and Jaya Prada, with music by Bappi Lahiri, lyrics by Indeevar, and vocals by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, the song was celebrated for its melody, colourful picturisation and Jaya Prada's elegant saree looks.

Tohfa, starring Jeetendra, Jaya Prada and Sridevi, emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of 1984. Its soundtrack also produced chartbusters such as "Ek Aankh Maroon To," "Gori Tere Ang Ang Mein," amongst many others