Dil To Pagal Hai (; ) is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film written, directed, and produced by Yash Chopra. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, and Akshay Kumar. It follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe, in which two dancers (Dixit and Kapoor) get entangled in a love triangle with their choreographer (Khan). The soundtrack was composed by Uttam Singh, with lyrics written by Anand Bakshi.
Made on a budget of , which includes print and advertising costs, Dil To Pagal Hai grossed over worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for its direction, story, screenplay, soundtrack, cinematography and performances of Khan, Dixit, Kapoor and Kumar.
Plot
Rahul and Nisha are members of a dance troupe that performs dance-based musical plays in Mumbai. Nisha is secretly in love with Rahul, but outwardly they are just friends. Rahul announces his desire to direct a new musical named Maya. The members of the troupe, including Nisha, have their doubts about the title character, "Maya", whom Rahul describes as a girl who believes in true love and is waiting for her Prince Charming, whom she believes will surely appear and take her away. Nisha is cast in the role of Maya.
Pooja, an exceptionally talented and classically trained dancer, is passionate about dancing. Having been orphaned at a young age, she was raised by close friends of her parents. Pooja and Rahul experience a series of near misses as they repeatedly encounter one another. Each of these moments is accompanied by a tune playing in the background, which resonates with Pooja. Pooja is soon taken to Germany by Ajay, the son of her foster parents and her childhood best friend, who has been working in London. Just before Ajay flies back to London, he proposes to Pooja. Conflicted, Pooja eventually accepts his marriage proposal.
Meanwhile, Nisha injures her leg during rehearsals for the upcoming play, and the doctor advises her to rest and avoid dancing for several months. While searching for a new dancer to replace Nisha in the play, Rahul comes across Pooja dancing one day and believes she is perfect for the role. He persuades her to attend their rehearsals and, after much hesitation, she agrees. Eventually, Rahul and Pooja become close friends. Nisha soon returns from hospital and is upset to discover that she has been replaced. She also becomes jealous upon learning that Rahul has feelings for Pooja. Realising that Rahul does not reciprocate her love, she decides to leave for London to visit her parents. During rehearsals, Rahul and Pooja begin to fall in love with one another. When Rahul drops Pooja home one day, he starts whistling his tune, making Pooja realise that she has fallen for the man connected to the tune she has so often heard. The following day, the two visit Pooja's former dance tutor, whom Pooja addresses as Tai, and she realises that they are deeply in love. At the wedding of two members of the dance troupe, Rahul and Pooja share an intimate moment, but neither knows how to express their feelings.
A few days before the premiere of the play, Ajay arrives at the rehearsal hall to surprise Pooja. He tells everyone that he is her fiancé. Rahul is heartbroken, but tries not to show it. Nisha, who has returned from London, notices Rahul's devastation and explains that she too was devastated when he did not return her love. Rahul changes the ending of the play to reflect his heartbreak, in contrast to his usual style of always providing a happy ending. On the night of the premiere, as Rahul and Pooja's characters are about to separate on stage, Ajay plays a recorded tape that Pooja had intended to send him before his proposal, in which she describes her feelings for Rahul. Through this, Ajay indirectly tells Pooja that she and Rahul are meant to be together. Pooja finally realises that she truly loves Rahul, and the two confess their love on stage as the audience applauds them, once again giving the play a happy ending. Backstage, Ajay asks Nisha whether she is married, implying his interest in her.
Cast
- Shahrukh Khan as Rahul
- Akshay Kumar as Ajay
- Madhuri Dixit as Pooja
- Karishma Kapoor as Nisha
- Farida Jalal as Ajay's mother
- Deven Verma as Ajay's father
- Aruna Irani as Pooja's teacher
- Suresh Menon as Supandi
- Rajesh Tandon as Raju
- Shruti Ulfat as Shruti
- Balvinder Singh Suri as Ballu
- Murad Ali as Jimmy
- Priya Varma as Soni
- Tanya Mukherjee as Tania
- Shivani Wazir as Anjali
- Shahid Kapoor as a background dancer in the song "Le Gayi" (uncredited)
Production
thumb|Kapoor played Nisha, a role several actresses rejected
Dil To Pagal Hai was the second of Yash Chopra's 4 consecutive films to star Shah Rukh Khan as the male lead. It was the third film to feature Khan opposite Madhuri Dixit, after Anjaam (1994) and Koyla (1997). The film was originally titled Maine To Mohabbat Kar Li and Tevar before Chopra finally settled on Dil To Pagal Hai as the title.
Sridevi was initially offered to play the role of Pooja, but she declined as she did not find her role as substantial as that in Lamhe. The role then went to Dixit.
After casting Dixit in the lead role of Pooja, Chopra found it hard to cast the role of the second female lead, Nisha. Manisha Koirala was first approached for the role, but declined. Koirala later admitted that she regretted turning it down. The role was then offered to Juhi Chawla, as Chopra wanted two leading actresses of that time to star alongside each other, however Chawla did not want to play second fiddle to Dixit, after playing the leading lady in Chopra's previous film Darr (1993). Kajol and Raveena Tandon were also offered the role; however Kajol declined as she felt that the role was insubstantial while Tandon was considering quitting her career at the time. After some thought, Chopra decided to extend the role of Nisha a little more. Urmila Matondkar, who worked with Khan in Chamatkar (1992), accepted the role, but opted out after a day of shooting. Chopra finally approached Karisma Kapoor who agreed to take up the role and was signed. She felt that despite the short screen-time, a lot could be achieved with the role.
Jackie Shroff was the initial choice to play the role of Ajay, however Chopra felt that a much younger actor was required, promoting Chopra to sign Akshay Kumar. Kumar was reportedly not paid for his role. Shahid Kapoor made an uncredited appearance as a dancer in the song <nowiki>Le Gayi</nowiki>.
Chopra rejected 54 dresses created by Malhotra for Dixit's character, choosing a salwar kameez over others. Filming began in June 1996. It was the first Bollywood film to be shot in Baden-Baden and Europa Park, both popular German tourist attractions. It was made on a budget of 90 million.