He wasn’t interested in singing songs in pretty locations and then eloping with the girl, as was the Bollywood norm. Shah Rukh thought that romances were ‘pansy’, effete. Instead Aditya had narrated a love story. Shah Rukh assumed that a film with this name would be a ‘macho, cool dude’ kind of movie. During the making of Darr, Aditya had talked to Shah Rukh about making a film called Auzaar ( Weapon). Kajol and Shah Rukh had been established as a successful screen pair with Baazigar ( Gambler, 1993), but the film was a thriller. Aditya wanted Shah Rukh because until then he hadn’t played a romantic hero. Shah Rukh had more knotty problems with this project. Headstrong and forthright herself, Kajol couldn’t relate to Simran at all. Kajol agreed immediately, but wondered how she would play this traditional, obedient daughter. But on screen, she had the charisma of the great screen idols, a mesmerizing intensity from which it was hard to take one’s eyes off. With a dusky complexion and hazel-green eyes, she didn’t fit the fair-skinned stereotype of the Bollywood heroine. Kajol, an actress from a three-generation family of actors, was his first choice for Simran. Originally Aditya had planned to take newcomers, but as the script took shape, he realized that the film required seasoned performers. He asked himself two questions: ‘Do you love this script? Will you be a film-maker who speaks his voice?’ The answer to both questions was a resounding ‘Yes’. The climax sounded too much like another successful film, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin ( The Heart Does Not Listen, 1991), in which the father encourages his daughter to run away from her own wedding and marry another man. Others thought there wasn’t enough intensity in the story – why does the boy follow the girl to India when he doesn’t even know if she loves him. In May 1994, cinematographer Manmohan Singh, art director Sharmishtha Roy, dialogue writer Javed Siddiqui and family friend Deven Varma gathered in the Chopras’ gadda room (cushion room) to hear what Aditya had in mind. But his energy doesn’t flag.But Aditya’s ardour failed to enthuse the Yash Raj Films unit. Sometimes, in the emotional scenes, his stammer worsens. The film runs in his head, frame by frame, and he describes what he sees, for more than three hours – the running time of the film. V Anantha Nageswaran takes over as new chief economic adviserĪditya Chopra narrates his plots in real screen time.How the British convinced Hindus that Muslims were despots and religious invaders.Delhi: Eight-year-old girl allegedly raped by two minors, admitted to ICU.Experiments to bring pigs back to ‘life’ show why immortality for humans isn’t a great idea.Supreme Court refuses to lay down yardstick for representation for quota in promotion to SC/STs.Watch: Another view of viral u-turn video shows it was skilful but not as dangerous as it looked.BJP, Bajrang Dal workers protest against ‘renaming’ of sports complex after Tipu Sultan in Mumbai.‘Gehraiyaan’ takes a fresh look at monogamy, says director Shakun Batra.Five takeaways from Kapil Sharma’s stand-up special ‘I’m Not Done Yet’.In this explosive fantasy by Saeed Naqvi, India is confronted with the disappearance of its Muslims.Indian family found dead near US-Canada border identified.‘Welcome aboard this historic flight’: Pilot on first flight after Tata Group takes over Air India.Special Publicity Stills: Gautam Rajadhyaksha Publicity Designers: Himanshu, Rahul Nanda Produced at: Filmistan, Mehboob, Rajkamal Kalamandir Re-Recording: Arun Bose (Prasad Film Lab., Madras) Songs Recording: Daman Sood (Western Outdoor) Production Executive: Sanjay Shivalkar, Kundan Pai Playback Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Pamela Chopra, Manpreet Kaur, AbhijeetĪssociate Producers: Pamela Chopra, Uday Chopra Story, Screenplay & Direction: Aditya Chopra Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, Satish Shah, Achla Sachdev, Damyanti Puri, Lalit Tiwari, Himani Shivpuri, Hemlata Deepak, Mohit Kumar, Mansoor Merchant, Govind Khatri, Pooja Ruparel, Rajesh Bhatija, Shanker Iyer, Baby Nupur, Baby Raashi, Arjun Sablok, Karan Johar, Pallavi Vyas, Anaita Shroff, Tulika.