Shah Rukh Khan's Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani ‘Is Still So Relevant', Says Director Aziz Mirza
In a recent conversation, director Aziz Mirza opened up about SRK-Juhi Chawla's Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani's reception.
Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla's Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani continues to hold a special place in fans' hearts even decades after its release. The romantic drama, known for the duo's crackling chemistry and Jatin-Lalit's soulful music, garnered praise from both critics and audiences. Notably, it also marked the debut production of Dreamz Unlimited (now Red Chillies Entertainment), co-founded by SRK, Juhi, and director Aziz Mirza.
Reflecting on the film's journey, Mirza recently opened up about its lasting relevance and shared a personal revelation, despite ambitious plans to invest in the film alongside SRK and Juhi, he couldn't contribute financially due to his situation at the time.
'We had decided to invest five lakhs each in Shah Rukh and Juhi's production company Dreamz Unlimited," the director said, as quoted by Indian Express, adding, 'I didn't even have five lakhs, I didn't invest that much. No one even asked me. I invested five lakhs at the end. I am being very honest."
The movie, which marked 25 years since its release, continues to resonate with audiences even today, according to the director. 'Even if you see the film today, it is still so relevant. You see the little things – vo dange khud karvaata hai aur phir hawan mein baithta hai dange band karvaane ke liye. Dange kisi aur cheez par the, he shifted it to Hindu-Muslim so that dhyaan idhar se hattjaaye. (They start the riots themselves and then sit in the protests to stop them. The riots were on something else, but they shifted it to Hindu-Muslim so that the focus shifted away from the riots.) All these things were done," he added.
Further in the interview, the director revealed his son's opinion on the film, saying, 'I wish people see that film again. My son says that you should have made the film seriously and not a satire, then people might have understood. I made it the way I saw it."
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani features Shah Rukh Khan as Ajay Bakshi, a reporter for KTV Channel, opposite Juhi Chawla in the role of Ria Banerjee, a reporter for the rival channel, Galaxy TV. Besides the lead pair, the film also features Paresh Rawal as Mohan Joshi, Johnny Lever as Choti/Pappu Junior, Aanjjan Srivastav as Police Commissioner, Neena Kulkarni as Laxmi Joshi, Mohan's wife, Dalip Tahil as Shenoy, Head of Galaxy TV Channel and Ria's boss, Shakti Kapoor as Minister Ramakant Dua and others.
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