Suneel Darshan’s Shocking  Revelations  On 23  Years  Of  Haan….Maine Bhi Pyar Kiya

Haan…Maine  Bhi Pyar Kiya was one of your most ambitious production, featuring Akshay  Kumar with Karisma Kapoor-Abhishek  Bachchan who were then engaged?

HMBPK was a movie planned with great hope and  noble intentions of consolidating relationships. After JAANWAR’s success, Akshay and  I had cemented our professional relationship by launching EK RISHTAA The Bond of Love for which Amitabh Bachchan came on board .Karisma Kapoor playing the female lead was a foregone conclusion.

This is when you took on the  added burden  of  HMBPK?

Yes,while the movie was into its pre-production, my younger brother Dharmesh Darshan whose directorial career started with my production LOOTERE(1993)  was brought back to direct his next HMBPK for me. Karisma Kapoor whose career had achieved meteoric heights with  her first collaboration with the director Dharmesh in Raja Hindustani,  was locked for the central role .Abhishek Bachchan, who was then engaged with Karishma was signed to play the male lead.

Apparently Akshay chased you until you signed  him as  the  third angle of the triangle?

The third angle of the triangular love story was a coveted casting that many top stars were eager to play.But Akshay Kumar was cast in it due to his deep bonding with me, besides the fact that he and my brother  Dharmesh had worked together in DHADKAN too… Composers Nadeem Shravan were signed to compose the songs for both EK RISHTAA & HMBPK & delivered several timeless hits for the movies.

Sounded like  a foolproof project?But then Abhishek and Karisma broke up?

Now came the paradox as what began as a positive ray of hope to cement disturbances in relationships through professional collaborations become a battle of egos and  confrontations culminating into bickering and break-ups, all of which damaged the art of cinema. Looking back, the lives of the key participants performed just so close to the story of the movie that I often wonder if cinema imitates life or life imitates cinema.

Akshay who  claimed  he was  your brother from another mother, also parted ways with you?

That was conquest time… unlike thereafter.He said a lot… promised even more… raat gayee baat gayee… I choose to remember the past with a smile rather than regretting it . I  look forward to a bright tomorrow with the lessons learnt from my sour experiences.