Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, and Akshay Kumar-starrer Dil To Pagal Hai was directed by Yash Chopra. Several actresses including Kajol, Raveena Tandon, Juhi Chawla, and others refused to play the second lead in the film. The romantic drama became a blockbuster upon its release.
Directed by the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra, the romantic drama Dil To Pagal Hai starred four superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, and Akshay Kumar in the leading roles. The film is still widely loved by the audiences for its performances, direction, screenplay, and especially the music composed by Uttam Singh with lyrics by Anand Bakshi.
With a budget of just around Rs 9 crore, Dil To Pagal Hai went on to become a blockbuster as it grossed Rs 72 crore worldwide becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 1997. It also won three National Film Awards – Best Film For Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Supporting Actress to Karisma Kapoor, and Best Choreography to Shaimak Dawar.
Yash Chopra always wanted Shah Rukh Khan to play Rahul. Before Madhuri came on board as Pooja, Yash went to Sridevi who declined the film. But it was the second female lead Nisha, whose casting took a lot of time. It’s an interesting story that Nisha, the role for which Kapoor won the National Award, was actually rejected by five leading actresses as it was the second lead in the film. Chopra was adamant on the fact that he wanted two leading actresses to star alongside each other. He first went to Manisha Koirala, who declined the role due to unknown reasons. Juhi Chawla was the next choice, but she didn’t wish to play the supporting role as she had played the leading lady in Chopra’s previous film Darr in 1993.
Kajol refused the film as she thought that the role wasn’t substantial enough. Raveena Tandon also didn’t agree to star in the film. Urmila Matondkar, who even accepted the film and shot for a single day, opted out of the film. When Yash Chopra almost thought to shelve the film, Karisma Kapoor finally came to her resuce and agreed to play Nisha in Dil To Pagal Hai, and went on to win the only National Award in her career.
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Apart from the four leads, Dil To Pagal Hai also had a solid supporting cast with talented actors including Farida Jalal, Deven Verma, Aruna Irani, and Suresh Menon among others. The film’s songs such as Arre Re Arre, Bholi Si Surat, Dholna, Le Gayi Le Gayi, and the title track Dil To Pagal Hai, are even popular after 27 years of its release.
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