Didi tera devar , Mayi ne maye still popular at indian weddings !

Roshmila Bhattacharya, Mumbai Mirror | Feb 25, 2014

Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral, that was the name of a British musical inspired by the Salman Khan-Madhuri Dixit starrer Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! The title of the stage adaptation aptly summed up Sooraj Barjatya's second film as a director. Two decades after its release, on August 5, 1994, Didi tera devar deewana and Maye ni maye still play at big fat Indian weddings.

Lata Mangeshkar sang 12 of these14 songs and the 60-plus songstress posed stiff competition to singers half her age. She had earlier dropped out of contention for the Filmfare Awards after bagging four, to encourage young talent. But that didn't stop the magazine readers from voting Didi tera devar deewana the year's best song and Lata didi the best female playback. As a mark of respect to this overwhelming appreciation, she agreed to accept a special award.

It had taken Sooraj a year and nine months to finish the screenplay. As he candidly admitted, "The first five months I was trying to write another Maine Pyaar Kiya and then I realised that there was no point in repeating myself and started all over again."

His father, Rajkumar Barjatya, suggested he rework one of Rajshri's earlier films, Nadiya Ke Paar. Sooraj would occasionally grumble that there was little drama in the story as there were no real villains apart from the circumstances and so no scope for maar dhad action. The songs were used to build relationships, take the story forward and help Sooraj handle stock situations.

As he pointed out, when Renuka Shahane delivers a baby and her family comes visiting, instead of falling back on the usual cliches, Sooraj treated the situation musically with the song Dhik Tana Dhik Tana. His grandfather, movie mogul Tarachand Barjatya, so loved the song that he suggested they title the film Dhik Tana Dhik Tana. But eventually, thry went with a more simple and direct Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

The film flagged off on July 2, 1992 with a song by Ramlaxman. Sooraj had around 50 sittings with his composer while scripting. It took him three months to record the 14 songs and in the course of four-hour-narrations for every member of the cast he'd play the songs and if they weren't recorded, sing them himself.

For Madhuri, matching steps to them was easy, but Renuka who was no dancer was thrilled that during Didi tera devar deewana she was pregnant' so though it was tiresome to lug a tummy' around, she didn't have to worry about getting the jhatkas right.

Four years after it was conceived, the film was ready. At a private screening, Sooraj was told it was too long and had too many songs. But only 10 days after the release did he agree to edit two songs " Chocolate Limejuice Icecream and Mujhse judaa hokar " and a couple of stanzas from another one. Then, encouraged by the response in Dehradun, Gandhinagar and Nizamabad where the film opened in its entirety, he restored the songs and the scenes in the new prints.

The film, derided by some as a wedding video', was one of Bollywood's biggest grossers. Two decades, later Didi tera devar deewana is still bang on target.