On this day, we look to Yash Raj Films in commemoration of Dil To Pagal Hai — as we celebrate 23 years of Yash Chopra’s crazy-heart classic.
On 31 October in 1997, Yash Chopra directed the heart-achingly romantic Dil To Pagal Hai — “a film that made us believe that – someone… somewhere… is made for us.” Chopra assembled a stellar cast for the film, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karishma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar.
As part of the ongoing celebrations for #YR50 announced this year, which recognises 50 years of Yash Raj Films in the business, and as homage to the late Yash Chopra, his son and head of the studio, Aditya Chopra declared grand celebrations for the New Year, instead of 2020 owing to the global pandemic.
In the interim, YRF has been injecting their audiences old and new with nostalgic tidbits of their timeless tales and anniversaries that celebrate some of their most-cherished films.
Taking to Twitter, YRF shared a swooningly romantic reminder of the film that reminds us just how crazy hearts can be. They tweeted: “A film that made us believe that – someone… somewhere… is made for us. #23YearsOfDilToPagalHai.”
A film that made us believe that – someone… somewhere… is made for us. #23YearsOfDilToPagalHai pic.twitter.com/kXpnkWeUG5
— Yash Raj Films (@yrf) October 30, 2020
Dixit also took to Twitter today to pay homage to her career-transforming film. She tweeted: “#DilTohPagalHai is a film very close to my heart. My character in the film shared my passion for dance & friendship. It was a wonderful learning experience and working alongside @iamsrk #karishma & @akshaykumar is always memorable. #23YearsOfDTPH”
#DilTohPagalHai is a film very close to my heart. My character in the film shared my passion for dance & friendship. It was a wonderful learning experience and working alongside @iamsrk #karishma & @akshaykumar is always memorable.#23YearsOfDTPH pic.twitter.com/5iqVrnoQ5a
— Madhuri Dixit Nene (@MadhuriDixit) October 31, 2020
Film trivia (Desi Martini):
- A Different Name
Dil To Pagal Hai was earlier called Maine To Mohabbat Kar Li and later on the name Mohabbat Kar Le was also considered. Interestingly, ‘Mohabbat Kar Le’ is a popular song of Shiamak Davar who choreographed the film and set gold standards of choreography in Bollywood. - Karishma’s Real Gain
Initially, the role of Nisha was offered to 4 actresses, Juhi Chawla, Kajol, Manisha Koirala and even Urmila Matondkar, who all refused the role. The role finally went to Karisma Kapoor who made it immortal and won her the National Award for the Best Supporting Actress, that too at the age of 24.
- Major Casting Coup
Dil To Pagal Hai is the only film where Karisma Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan co-star closely. With Shakti – The Power, as an exception but SRK only had an extended cameo in the film. Dil To Pagal Hai also brought Madhuri Dixit and Akshay Kumar, two icons of 90s Bollywood, together for the first time. - Career Ascendance
The film transformed Madhuri Dixit’s career – who finally saw box-office success after 5 long years. Before Dil To Pagal Hai, her last hit film was Raja. Dil To Pagal Hai was the first major hit for the pairing of Dixit and Khan, whose two earlier films together did not do too well at the box-office. - Music Magic
The music crafted for the film is legendary. Reportedly, Uttam Singh, the music director of the film presented at least 100 tunes to Yash Chopra — 9 of which selected. The music of the film went on to garner widespread success and did better business than some of the biggest hit films. However, despite the resounding success, Chopra never worked with Singh in any of his other projects. Interestingly, it was also the last film in which Lata Mangeshkar did playback for Dixit.
Let your dil go pagal again, with YRF YouTube playlist:
