Devdas : Paro's mansion was embellished with coloured pieces of glass. The set, standing for seven months, got washed clean by Mumbai monsoons. The colour on the glass pieces had paled, and before every shot, these pieces had to be hand painted.
Shah Rukh Khan, who normally doesn’t drink alcohol, used to drink a few pegs before his shots, in order to portray his character realistically. Usually, two to three generators are required for a film shoot, but for the shoot of DEVDAS, 700 lightmen and 42 generatos were utilised. There was a time in Mumbai, when generators for weddings were not available, all of them were on the sets of DEVDAS.

Sooryavansham : Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan first appeared together in BUNTY AUR BABLI (’05), but they played father and son for the first time in Ram Gopal Varma’s SARKAR (’05). Interestingly, they were thought off, to play father and son, for the first time in SOORYAVANSHAM (’99). Amitabh was to play Thakur Bhanu Pratap and Abhishek, the role of Heera. If all went as per the makers’ plans, this would’ve been Abhishek’s debut film. For various reasons, this didn’t happen and REFUGEE (’00) went on to become Abhishek’s debut film.

Mujse Dosti Karoge : This film was almost made under another banner, and a signing amount was also given to director Kunal Kohli. However, the film got delayed, during which time, Kunal narrated the story to Karan Johar, who introduced him to Aditya Chopra. Aditya said he would hear the story only after the signing amount was returned to the other producer, as it would be unethical otherwise, and although Kunal knew there was no guarantee, he took the risk, which paid off. 

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham : Karan Johar got such a bad heat stroke, during the shooting of the song ‘Bole chudiyaan’, that he fainted. He shot the remaining portions of the song, from another room, where he was lying down in front of the monitor, and directing by yelling out on the microphone.

Apna Sapna Money Money : The title for this film was originally thought of as ‘Money Money Money’. However, the team discovered that this titled was registered with some other producer, and hence producer Subhash Ghai decided the next best title for this subject would be APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY.

When Chunky Pandey first saw Riteish on the sets, dressed up as a woman, he didn’t realize it was Riteish. From a distance, he thought Esha Deol was cast for the film. He was a bit surprised, and on going closer, realized it wasn’t Esha. Riteish blew a kiss, and spoke to him in a woman’s voice. Chunky still didn’t realize and was wondering who this ‘lady’ was, till the truth was told to him!

Dhoom 2:Abhishek’s introduction sequence with the Jet Ski was shot in Goa, and there were crocodiles in the water, which were clearly visible to all. This didn’t deter Abhishek from shooting this portion, and he did fall into the water many times as well, but fortunately, nothing untoward happened!imes as well, but fortunately, nothing untoward happened!

36 China Town : Director’s Abbas-Mastan and writer Shyam Goel did not reveal the murderer’s identity in the film to any of the actors, until the actual shoot of the scene. Right from the narration of the film, to the shooting of the scene, nobody, including the actor who played the murderer, was aware of exactly what would happen in the climax.
Kal Ho Naa Ho :This film was initially titled KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA- this title was given by Karan Johar’s friend, Aditya Chopra. Later, Karan Johar heard a song from the Kajol-Saif starrer, HAMESHA (’97), in which, the words ‘Kal ho na ho’, were used. He liked the words very much, thought this would the perfect title for this film. Karan called his next film KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA.

Aashiq Banaya Aapne :Himesh Reshammiya has director Aaditya Datt to thank for his popularity as a singer. Him singing the hit song, ‘Aashiq banaya aapne’, happened by chance. Both Himesh and director Aaditya Dutt, were looking for a new singer for this song, but couldn’t find anyone by the time the song had to be shot. Aaditya told Himesh to record with his voice, for the time being, and they would record the final version later, when they found the correct singer. Aaditya kept listening to this scratch version in his car, and by the time he reached the sets, he had made up his mind. He called Himesh, and told him, that he would keep the song, with Himesh’s voice. 

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar :Director-choreographer Farah Khan, began her career as an assistant to director Mansoor Khan, on this film. Saroj Khan was the choreographer, but due to some problems, dropped out at the time the song ‘Pehla Nasha’ was to be shot. Farah, a professional dancer, requested Mansoor to let her choreograph the song. He agreed, the song became a huge hit and today, Farah is the most sought after choreographer. She made directorial debut with MAIN HOON NA (‘04).

Kabhi Alvida naa Kehna:Kajol was initially offered the lead role in this film, but had to decline, since she could not shoot out of Bombay, without her daughter, for a long period at a stretch. She was meant to play Rani Mukherji’s role, and Rani, in turn, was meant to play Rhea’s character, which ultimately was played by Preity Zinta. Karan Johar considers Kajol his lucky mascot, and hence, she does make an appearance in the song “Rock & Roll Soniye”.

Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai: Rakesh Roshan wanted both Hrithiks’, Raj and Rohit, to look exactly the same, but Hrithik thought there should be some difference in looks and mannerisms. He worked on his body language, and even had different workouts so that his physique would look different, and thought that in the 2nd half, as Raj, he should sport glasses. Interestingly, the glasses he wore as the stylish Raj, are the same ones he used for his character in KOI… MIL GAYA (’03). 

Producer-director Rakesh Roshan wrote this film with Shah Rukh Khan in mind. But later, when he narrated the story to his team and close friends, they all felt that a fresh face was required, and that is when his son, Hrithik, stepped in. There were talks of Hrithik being launched in Shekhar Kapoor’s ‘Tara Rum Pum Pum’, a film that was also meant to launch Preity Zinta, but never took off. Hrithik prepared intensively for KAHO NAA…PYAAR HAI (’00).

Good Boy Bad Boy :Around the time of the GOOD BOY, BAD BOY (‘07) shoot, Tanushree was the victim of a stalker, and was absolutely petrified. Knowing this, co-stars Emraan Hashmi and Kabir Sadanand played a prank on her. They asked one of the light men to follow Tanushree around the sets, without letting her know that he is a part of the crew. Tanushree actually got scared and would move around with her bodyguard, even on the sets, till she came to know the truth.

Garv - Pride & Honour :The famous gestures of an  ‘X’, that Salman uses in the film, was his own idea. While thinking of certain mannerisms his character should have, he remembered an incident, that took place about 18 years ago. Someone had used the same sign with Salman, after an argument. He liked this idea, and decided to use it in GARV (’04).

Due to the strenuous day and night shooting schedules of this film, fitness conscious Salman did not find too much time for his workouts. To make up for this, he used to cycle 35 kilometers, from his house to the sets, and back home after pack up. It would take him about two hours each way.

Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega :Raj Kanwar has directed films like DEEWANA (‘92), LADLA (‘94), JAAN (‘96), JEET (‘96) & ANDAZ (‘03). Out of all the films he is directed, seven films are hit and did very well on the box office. Interestingly, his heroine’s names in his films have been ‘Kajal’, with the exception of only one film -  HAR DIL JO PYAR KAREGA (’00), in which none of the actresses were called ‘Kajal’.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge:Director Adi Chopra’s first choice for the hero of this film was not Shah Rukh, but none other than Tom Cruise! That was because initially, the film was meant to be an English film, and the story was a love story between an Indian girl and an American boy who meet in Europe. But later, it was decided that, the same story would be made in Hindi, and Shah Rukh Khan was cast as the hero.

In the last shot of the song, ‘Ruk ja’, Shah Rukh drops Kajol on the floor. Shah Rukh and director Adi Chopra did not tell Kajol about this shot, so that they could capture a genuine reaction from her. Kajol’s shocked expression was a real one, and she claims she got hurt when she was dropped. She was angry for a while and refused to speak to them, but they patched up within a day.

Dil Toh Paagal Hai :The role of Nisha was turned down by Juhi Chawla, Kajol and Urmila Matondkar, before it was finally accepted by Karisma Kapoor. The other actresses had reservations about playing the second lead to Madhuri Dixit. Karisma won both the National and Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress for this much-rejected role.

This film was initially titled MAINE TO MOHABBAT KI HAI, and the script was reworked several times at the pre-production stage. Director Yash Chopra was not satisfied with the script till his son, Aditya, gave it a peppy youthfulness and oodles of glamour. The film was then re-titled DIL TO PAGAL HAI (’97).

Tango Charlie :Ajay Devgan, who is known for his pranks on the sets, wanted to hit a friend of the producer with a snowball. Ajay carefully aimed, and flung the snowball at the producer’s friend, but unfortunately, he moved away in the nick of time, and the snowball hit an elderly woman.  Ajay went to her to apologize, but, when the lady realized it was Ajay Devgan who had hit her, she was ecstatic, and began thanking him instead of getting angry.

Raja:During the making of this film, the story was changed, and the beginning, climax and some other
portions were shot twice. Initially, the main story was of two brothers, with the love angle as a subplot. As the shoot progressed, director Indra Kumar was not happy with the way it was shaping up, and changed the main story to that of two lovers, and the angle of the brothers was reduced to a subplot.

Aawara Paagal Deewana :Jackie Shroff was the original choice for the role of Vikrant, ultimately played by Rahul Dev. Similarly, Aarti Chhabria was brought in to replace Twinkle Khanna, who opted out after her marriage to Akshay Kumar. Twinkle and Akshay were married in January 2001 – the same month when the shooting began for this film.

After the film’s shooting in Milan, Italy, Johny Lever was waiting at the airport when an Austrian lady approached him for an autograph. Soon, a huge crowd of admirers gathered. Hollywood star George Clooney, who was present in the airport lounge, was quite intrigued and came up to see the actor who had managed to draw such attention.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai:A lot of the film was shot in Mauritius, but apart from the title track, only one college scene was shot in Scotland. It’s the scene where Kajol comes to show Shah Rukh how she looks in a ‘glamorous’ avatar, which goes terribly wrong and everybody makes fun of her. In that particular scene, the film’s choreographer Farah Khan and designer Manish Malhotra can be seen, sitting on the steps, posing as students.

Shahenshah:Amitabh Bachchan’s artificial left arm in the film, in his ‘Shahenshah’ get-up, weighed a good 14 kilos. His costume ensemble included a leather jacket, beard and wig, all of which he wore for hours altogether during shootings, in the stifling Mumbai heat, without a single complaint.

Over three decades ago, the director of this film, Tinnu Anand, showed Amitabh Bachchan’s pictures to director K.A Abbas in the hope that he would give the lanky newcomer a break in his film, SAAT HINDUSTANI (’69). As destiny would have it, K.A Abbas cast Amitabh Bachchan in the role that was earlier meant for Tinnu Anand!

Tom, Dick & Harry :For the shoot of the scene in which the three heroes force Celina to have coffee, in order to sedate her, Dino, Jimmy and Anuj actually put about three different kinds of alcohol in the cup, which Celina gulped down, in a shot. Her shocked expression at first, and then her dizzy look, were both genuine, which is what is retained in the film. Celina’s head was spinning, and despite her headache, she was professional enough to shoot for the entire day.

36 China Town :Director duo Abbas-Mastan was inspired to make 36 CHINA TOWN (‘06) after having watched an English detective thriller, CHINATOWN (‘74), starring Jack Nicholson. They claim that, 36 CHINA TOWN (‘06) is actually a tribute to that film. Interestingly, they wanted to call the film ‘Chinatown’, but the rights for this title was not available. Director Abbas then thought of adding a house number to the title, and hence it was titled ‘36 China Town’.

Director’s Abbas-Mastan and writer Shyam Goel did not reveal the murderer’s identity in the film to any of the actors, until the actual shoot of the scene. Right from the narration of the film, to the shooting of the scene, nobody, including the actor who played the murderer, was aware of exactly what would happen in the climax.

Masti:This film was initially titled KHUJLI, but some people in the team felt that this title, would give a negative impression, and could even lead to censorship problems. It didn’t even suit the image of producers Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar, whose earlier films include DIL (’90), BETA (’92), ISHQ (’97) and MANN (’99). Hence, it was changed to MASTI (’04).

Bipasha Basu was the first choice for the role finally enacted by Lara Dutta. Bipasha was signed on, but unfortunately, got caught up with other assignments, and could not give dates for this film. Lara Dutta was then approached to play this character.