Aditya Chopra almost fired Saroj Khan from ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ over-scheduling conflict | Hindi Movie News

‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge‘ is a major film in Indian cinema and holds the world record for the longest-running film in theatres. It was Aditya Chopra’s first film as a director and established his reputation in the industry. The movie became popular for its strong performances, engaging story, and memorable songs. However, Aditya Chopra almost fired choreographer Saroj Khan because of scheduling issues.
In a recent making-of featurette shared on the YRF YouTube channel, Saroj recounted a tense moment during the filming of ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’. She revealed, “Adi was about to throw me out of the picture. I landed one day late, and they were about to take the first shot of the song, where Kajol is in a black gown, and she’s wearing a black suit. He was shouting and screaming and telling his father, ‘I’m going to throw out Saroj ji’. Anyhow, I landed on time, before he threw me out.”
Uday Chopra added, “Saroj ji was telling him, ‘Adi, what are you doing? You’re messing this song up’. Even parts of the climax, dad wasn’t very excited about the way he wanted to treat that climax. Saroj ji, Man ji (cinematographer Manmohan Singh), dad, they were all the best in their fields, and they were telling him he’s doing something wrong, and he still didn’t listen to them. He would just listen to his gut. It’s Saroj ji’s greatness that she came to the house one day and said, ‘I was wrong, you were right’.”
Shah Rukh Khan said, “We had some senior members on the technical staff. And they’re all good-thinking, lovely people. They meant well, for somebody’s first film. He would say, ‘No, I don’t want to do it because I don’t think it should be done like that’. I would say, ‘But why take a chance? It’s your first film, maybe these people know better than you and I’? He said, ‘No, then I would never know what mistakes I made. If I go wrong, it should be my wrong’. He was very clear that he wouldn’t do something he didn’t believe in.”
Karan Johar, who worked as an assistant on the film, said, “He’s a dictator, he’s definitely not a director. It’s his way or the highway. His clarity is something that I want to emulate and am inspired by.”
‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, directed by Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra, follows the story of Raj and Simran, two young Indians raised abroad who fall in love during a European vacation. They face the challenge of navigating traditional Indian values and familial expectations in order to be together.