16 years of Dil Chahta Hai: Good stories survive the test of time says Sonali Kulkarni

The film Dil Chahta Hai (2001) starring actors Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta and Sonali Kulkarni can easily be counted among the landmark films in Bollywood. At a time when films about surreal romances and larger-than-life stories were the norm, Dil Chahta Hai cut through the clutter and charmed people with its slice-of-life honesty.

Sonali, who played Saif’s love interest in the film recalls her experience working on the film, “It was fantastic right from the day Zoya Akhtar, the casting director of the film approached me. The film upon its release gave me a proud standing in the industry and proved that nothing but a good story will survive the test of time,” says Sonali.

Though comparatively bigger stars were present on the sets, Sonali says nobody was treated any differently. “The film allowed me a chance to go for a total makeover — right from the costumes to even the bags I was carrying. Aamir, Saif and everyone was very humble, and the entire unit wished me on my birthday when we were shooting in Goa,” adds the actor.

The song Woh Ladki Hai Kahan, in which Saif and Sonali’s characters dance in a dream sequence, was the most hilarious experience for her.

Going down memory lane, she recalls, “There were a few sequences of the song, which I would reject after Farah (Khan), the choreographer would tell me what I had to do! The entire unit would be in splits and if there was another take, everyone would cheer for me and say that we want to see some madness in the song.”

Sonali is hoping that the entire cast and crew comes together for a reunion. “We all are at different junctions of our life now. But the film is still so fresh, people from every generation come up to me and tell that it’s their favourite film. I really hope that we all come together and party like the old times,” says Sonali.

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