When Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit were considered ‘flop’ before “Dil”
When Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit were considered ‘flop’ before
“Dil”
The year 2025, marks 25 years ever since Indra Kumar’s directorial debut Dil, a romantic drama featuring Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit who were considered ‘flop’ actors before Dil, regardless of delivering blockbusters through their respective films — Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Tezaab — in 1988, only a couple of years earlier.
Dil co-star Adi Irani recently opened up on how the film came to fruition with the two leads. “Six-seven films of his flopped in a row after Aamir Khan’s first film. He was considered a flop hero.
The producers used to say, ‘Don’t take him. Don’t know whether his films would work or not.’ That was the case for Madhuri Dixit as well. She had signed a lot of big films, but one-two didn’t work and the others were not getting completed,” the actor recalled.
In a podcast Adi revealed that Dil happened only because Indra Kumar couldn’t get Anil Kapoor’s dates for a year. Indra had already produced two films with Anil — Mohabbat and Kasam.
When Indra Kumar wanted to turn director with his third film, Beta, Anil, being a friend, couldn’t say no to him. Upon the insistence of elder brother and producer Boney Kapoor, Anil agreed to do Beta, but didn’t have dates for the film for a year. “Then Anil Kapoor told Indra Kumar, ‘You do one thing. Make a small-budget film in the meantime. You’ll also get an experience being a director too.’ So he started Dil, in which he signed Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit. He was thinking, ‘Let me make a small film with these too. Let’s see if it works,’” said Adi Irani.
When Dil became a blockbuster, it put Indra Kumar in a spot. He was worried if he’d be able to match Dil’s success with that of Beta’s. However, Anil was elated that he got a superhit director in Indra Kumar after Dil, but he was concerned that he’s playing a village boy in Beta.
Finally, Beta turned out to be even a bigger hit than Dil. Interestingly, Sridevi was initially approached as the leading lady of Beta. “Sridevi didn’t work with new directors. She was approached for Beta through Anil Kapoor. But she said no to him.
Indra Kumar was already doing Dil with Madhuri, so he signed her for Beta too. So that was another minus point. Why? Because Dil hadn’t released by then. And Madhuri was already signed for Beta. So Anil said, ‘Sridevi said no, so instead of signing a big heroine, you’re signing Madhuri Dixit. Everything is a minus in your film.’ But all the minuses turned out to be pluses for Beta,” said Adi Irani, whose sister Aruna Irani played Anil’s mother in Beta.
Recently, Aamir Khan also looked back at his initial low phase amidst launch of PVR’s Aamir Khan Film Festival. “Back then, actors worked on 30 to 50 films simultaneously. Interestingly, Anil Kapoor did the fewest, with 33 films. Seeing that, I ended up signing 9-10 films at once.
However, none of the directors he had dreamed of working offered him any roles. It was only once the shooting of these films began that he realised the gravity of his. mistake. He was doing three shifts a day and wasn’t happy. He would go home and cry.
Zoya Akhtar was unprofessional, didn’t inform him that she’d chosen Parmeet Sethi over him for Dil Dhadhakne Do’: Adi Irani
The media dubbed Adi a ‘one-film wonder.’ Rightly so; he blame no one for that label. By then, he was certain that not only had these three films failed, but his next six would be disasters because they were even worse. He could see his career going down the drain. He was stuck in a swamp, unable to get out.
Both Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit’s careers were resurrected by the blockbuster success of Dil.
News Edit KV Raman
