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Beta (1992), starring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, remains a milestone in Bollywood, not just for its box office success but also for its remarkable behind-the-scenes story.
Anil Kapoor’s professionalism and Madhuri Dixit’s magnetic screen presence, coupled with chart-topping songs like Dhak Dhak Karne Laga, turned Beta into an iconic cinematic experience.
Beta (1992) remains a landmark in Indian cinema, celebrated for its gripping story, memorable performances, and iconic songs. Directed by Indra Kumar, it was the highest-grossing film of the year and won accolades for the stellar acting of Madhuri Dixit, Aruna Irani, and Anil Kapoor. However, few know that the film was almost entirely different from what audiences saw. According to director Indra Kumar, the movie underwent a major overhaul, with the entire first half being rewritten and reshot.
In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube talk show, Indra Kumar revealed, “When I watched first half of Beta, I thought to myself: ‘Bahaut bakwaas picture hai.’ But, second half was outstanding. My distributors were quiet happy after the trial show. But, I wasn’t convinced. At night, I went to Ashok (Thakeria)’s house and told him, ‘Ashok, the first half seems too ‘bakwas, looks very dated.’ He was like, ‘Are you crazy? You want to re-shoot the entire first half? We have already exceeded the planned budget for this film.’ I was like, ‘Please give me just two days.’”
Determined to fix the narrative, Kumar and his team headed to Khandala and rewrote the first half of the film. He explained, “Ashok ji came two days later. He had come with the intention to simply tear the newly written script. After all, it was insane to think to reshoot the entire first half as back in those days, it used to take about 35-40 days to shoot films. Yet, he was like ‘Fine, narrate it.’ And I did. Once I completed my narration, he was astounded. He was like, ‘This is your first half?’”
One of the biggest challenges was informing Anil Kapoor about the changes, especially since the new script leaned heavily toward Madhuri Dixit’s character. Kumar shared, “Somehow, I gained the courage and went to him (Kapoor) and narrated him the script. He listened to me quietly. After the narration, he told me, ‘Can I tell you something? Tu ne meri band baja di.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? Isn’t the script nice?’ He was like, ‘It is extremely nice, but now people will title this film Beti, not Beta. You have completely spinned the film. But yes, now your film will be a blockbuster hit.’”
Despite the shift in focus, Kapoor remained supportive. Kumar praised his professionalism, saying, “Anil said, ‘My only concern is to make your film a superhit.’ That was the kind of confidence he carried. If it was any other actor, I can guarantee you, they wouldn’t have let me reshoot the film with Madhuri’s beefed up role.”
The movie’s success wasn’t just limited to its story but extended to its chart-topping songs, especially “Dhak Dhak Karne Laga.” Kumar reminisced, “I did nothing, but enjoyed watching Madhuri dance before me. I can take no credit. Anand Milind was my music director. He was the one who composed it, and I loved it. Anuradha Podwal and Udit Narayan sung it terrifically. Saroj Khan was my choreographer, she crafted the looks of the song. It was out of my imagination. My camera man was Baba Azmi. The way he lit up the set and the kind of clothes he gave to my leads, it enhanced the song. And Madhuri’s dancing skills were impeccable. Anil was terrific. I just had fun on set, watching Madhuri dance.”
Indra Kumar also highlighted the camaraderie between Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit during the shoot. He said, “Anil and Madhuri are great friends. They share a completely different chemistry. They respected each other so much. Anil was extremely caring towards Madhuri. He would always pump her up. More than a co-star, he was like a giver to her. Till date, Anil goes crazy when he hears Madhuri’s name. Puch ke dekhlena kabhi.”
The duo went on to star in several successful films together, including Ram Lakhan, Tezaab, Khel, and Jamai Raja, cementing their status as one of Bollywood’s most beloved on-screen pairs.
