Sachin Pilgaonkar reveals why he insisted on casting Madhuri Dixit in 'Prem Deewane'

Mumbai: Filmmaker and actor Sachin Pilgaonkar  revealed why he was determined to cast Madhuri Dixit in his directorial venture ‘Prem Deewane’.
He said he was impressed by her performance in the film ‘Abodh’.

The revelation came during Madhuri's interaction with Sachin Pilgaonkar and actress Madhurani Gokhale on the Marathi quiz show ‘Kon Honar Crorepati’, where the actress revisited her experience of working with the filmmaker.

During the conversation, Madhuri recalled that she was mostly known for her dance performances and romantic roles at the time. She asked Sachin what made him consider her for the role of an inspector in ‘Prem Deewane’.

Responding to her question, Sachin said he had watched her performance in ‘Abodh’ and was convinced that she could take on the challenging role.

“I had seen your film ‘Abodh’ before that, and I absolutely loved your performance. I said, ‘No, I want Madhuri.’ When I was asked, ‘Why Madhuri for this role?’ I said, ‘If she can do that, she can pull this off too,’” he recalled.

Madhuri thanked the filmmaker for placing his faith in her and giving her the opportunity to explore a different kind of character.

Released in 1992, ‘Prem Deewane’ was directed by Sachin Pilgaonkar and produced by Ashok Ghai. The film starred Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Vivek Mushran and Pooja Bhatt in the lead roles.

Madhuri played Inspector Shivangi Mehra, while Jackie portrayed Ashutosh Singh. Vivek played Manohar, also known as Manu, and Pooja essayed the role of Radha. The supporting cast included Prem Chopra, Ashok Saraf, Reema Lagoo, Dara Singh, Manohar Singh and Ashalata.

The romantic comedy followed two young lovers, Radha and Manu, who runs away after facing opposition to their relationship. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when they become involved in a kidnapping plan, leading to a series of misunderstandings and comic situations.

The film's music was composed by the celebrated duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Its soundtrack featured songs such as ‘Aise Lagi Aag Barabar’, ‘Pi Pi Piya’, ‘Prem Deewane’, ‘Yeh Ho Raha Hai’, ‘Happy Birthday to You Mr. Pedro’ and ‘Mohabbat Zindabad’.