This Aamir Khan-starrer, Made On Rs 9 Crore Budget, Minted Rs 39 Crore

Dil Chahta Hai became one of the highest-grossing Hindi movies of 2002.

Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Rang De Basanti and Raja Hindustani are some of the many films through which Aamir Khan attracted viewers with his near-to-perfection acting and novel storylines. Be it romance in Sarfarosh or comedy in Andaz Apna Apna, Aamir excelled in every character. Dil Chahta Hai was another addition to his successful filmography.

Made under a budget of Rs 8 crore, the film collected over Rs 39 crore at the box office. It was one of the highest-grossing movies of Bollywood in 2001. It was written and directed by Farhan Akhtar and was the debut directorial movie of the actor. It was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and released under the banner of Excel Entertainment KK.

The film is based on the changes in the romantic lives of three college graduate friends. It stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna while Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia are in the lead female roles. Dil Chahta Hai was based on Akhtar’s diary which gave information about his trips to Mumbai and New York City.

Dil Chahta Hai received widespread critical acclaim for its fresh storyline and soundtrack after its release. Ever since the release of the movie’s trailer, the film was highly anticipated due to its plot of youth which was rarely touched in Indian cinema in the early 2000s.

It was shot in many beautiful places like Goa and Australia. It was one of the first films to be shot in sync with sound, with Nakul Kamte and H Sridhar handling the sound recording. The trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composed the soundtrack and background score, with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar.

Dil Chahta Hai won 2 awards at the 49th National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film in Hindi. Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan also bagged numerous awards for their performance in the movie. The film also served as a full stop to Akshaye Khanna and Said Ali Khan’s streak of flop films in Bollywood. The movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Netflix.