This Aamir Khan movie had no buyers, rejected by distributors, canned for a year; it’s not Andaz Apna Apna, Mann, Raakh

Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit broke box-office records with their romantic drama Dil (1990). Indra Kumar-directed Dil was a family entertainer, and it also brought the fresh pair of Aamir and Madhuri onto the big screen. Interestingly, the chemistry of the lead pair was widely appreciated. But there was a phase when their collaboration was questioned by producers and distributors. Once upon a time, a film of Bollywood’s Mr Pefectionist had no buyers. 

If you think that Dil was the first movie of Aamir-Madhuri, then you are wrong. A year before Dil, Aamir and Madhuri came together for a film- Deewana Mujh sa Nahin (1989). After Aamir made his striking debut with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), director Y. Nageshwara Rao signed him for his upcoming movie. Aamir’s chemistry with Juhi Chawla was a sure-shot bet at the box office. But the director decided to cast Madhuri Dixit opposite Khan. 

The movie was completed in 1989 and it was ready for theatrical release. Reportedly, when producers screened the film for distributors, they refused to buy the movie, doubting Aamir-Madhuri’s new pair and the audience’s love for Khan with Chawla’s on-screen chemistry. Another reason why distributors were not thrilled to buy the film is because the movie was based on one-sided love. Also, Madhuri had a meatier role than Aamir. Thus, Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin faced multiple rejections, and it was canned for a year.

On June 22, 1990, Dil was released, and it went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. To encash the popularity of Aamir-Madhuri’s crackling chemistry, the distributors bought Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin. On July 20, 1990,  a month after Dil, Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin was released in cinemas. Although it couldn’t repeat the success of Dil, the movie did average business at the box office. Apart from these two films, Aamir and Madhuri were seen in Bombay Talkies (2013) and Total Dhamaal (2019). However, they didn’t share screen space, and Aamir had a cameo appearance in both films.