31 years of Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt's Dil Hai Maanta Nahin - Remembering Mahesh Bhatt's musical romantic drama

Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt in 'Dil Hai Maanta Nahin'. (Screen grab)

I was in Class 9th when Dil Hai Maanta Nahin had released. Let me admit it, I was a kid, had not quite experienced love, and back then it was kind of uncommon as well for boys as young as me to be actually having a girlfriend. Hence, even though Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin was a love story at the core of it, I watched it primarily for its light hearted moments, and Aamir Khan's comedy. Of course, the songs had already become chartbusters many weeks before the release of the film, so that was an added attraction too.

It was many years down the line when the meaning of the song 'Tu Pyaar Hai Kisi Aur Ka, Tujhe Chahta Koyi Aur Hai' started gaining a lot deeper meaning for me, but more about that later.

So it was summer of 1991 when the film released. This was the time when no one associated with the film was a big star. Yes, it was a bunch of talented people trying to find their way into Bollywood, and had proven themselves with their earlier outings. However, were they superstars in their own right? No.

Aamir Khan was a rising star after Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Dil, and was coming with four flops behind him [Afsana Pyar Ka, Awwal Number, Jawani Zindabad, Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin]. In fact remove Dil and he had three more flops before that [Tum Mere Ho, Love Love Love, Raakh]. For Pooja Bhatt, this was her debut big screen film. She had been seen in TV movie Daddy before this but was yet to be tested in the world of commercial cinema. Mahesh Bhatt had made 20 movies, and his only big success was his 20th film, Aashiqui.

Even composers Nadeem-Shravan and lyricist Sameer had done multiple films but their first big success was Aashiqui, so with Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin, they were returning with Mahesh Bhatt. No wonder, they came up with 10 of their best songs, all by Anuradha Paudwal as the common female singer, which resulted in the film turning out to be a monumental musical success way before the theatrical release. I still remember as a kid humming songs like 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin', 'Dil Tujhpe Aa Gaya' and 'Adayein Bhi Hain' amongst others'.

However, the hot favorite remains 'Tu Pyaar Hai Kisi Aur Ka'!

Ask any college kid or even a working professional and they will vouch for the fact that at least once in their life, they have mended a broken heart and rued the fact that the love of their life is the beloved of someone else. The song has always touched the heart for all such souls and such was the kind of impact that the Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal sung song had on one and all that it led one to shed a tear or two. Rest was taken care of by brilliant performance of Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt in this song that it made everyone go emotional by default.

The film was not just emotions and romance though; there were a lot of comical moments that made it memorable. The man who made this possible was Anupam Kher, a regular with Bhatts ever since Saaransh. Much before Amrish Puri said 'Ja Simran Ja' to Kajol in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Anupam Kher asked Pooja Bhatt to run away from her very own wedding in the climax of the film. It was all comical though, and added on to the characteristic trait that only Anupam Kher has managed to bring in his last four decades of acting career.

However, for the youngsters, it was the arrival of Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt on the scene that resulted in the film turning out to be a major money spinner. No, it didn't open huge but then word of mouth caught up well for this film and Aamir boyish act as Raghu Jaitley along with Pooja Bhatt's cute & perky act as Pooja Dharamchand is what stole one's heart. They were so compatible as a pair in the film and looked wonderful together, which made audiences root for them to eventually walk the aisle. When that connect happens, a film is bound to be a hit.

And as for the legendary story behind Aamir Khan's Captain cap, then well, it lives on. I still remember how it turned out to be a rage back in time, and the caps were sold out in no time the moment they hit the stands. Guess that's the kind of magic that sometimes the simplest of things weave, and a small film with a big heart in the form of Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin is a prime example of that.