At the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, actor R Madhavan opened up about the emotional journey of his iconic film ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ (RHTDM), which has achieved cult status over the years.
The film, initially released in 2001, marked a significant milestone in Bollywood, both for R Madhavan and his co-star Dia Mirza, as it was their debut film. Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, the romantic drama also starred Saif Ali Khan and was a remake of Menon’s Tamil film ‘Minnale’.
Speaking candidly to Desk, Madhavan shared how deeply hurt he was when the film flopped upon its release. Despite the immense effort he and the team had put in to make the movie a success, its initial box-office performance was a letdown.
“When it first released, it didn’t do well; it was a flop. I remember being heartbroken. I had gone to all the temples, made sure I left no stone unturned to make the film the way it was supposed to,” Madhavan said.
However, the actor expressed that fate had a different plan for the film. A quarter-century later, in August 2024, ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ was re-released to mark its 25th anniversary, and to everyone’s surprise, it outperformed its original release in terms of earnings.