Twenty five years after its release, Dil Chahta Hai continues to be remembered for its simple and relatable take on friendship, love and growing up. The Farhan Akhtar directorial completed 25 years, and the milestone was marked with a special reunion of the cast and makers in Mumbai on August 28. Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Sonali Kulkarni came together for the gathering and spoke about their memories of making the film.
During the reunion, Dimple Kapadia opened up about playing Tara, one of the most discussed characters in the film. The actor revealed that she was initially unsure about accepting the role because of the relationship between Tara and Siddharth, played by Akshaye Khanna. Tara was shown as an older woman who develops a close relationship with a much younger man, which was an unusual subject for a mainstream Hindi film at the time.
Dimple explained that although she had reservations, she immediately connected with the story and found the character interesting. Speaking to We Are Yuvaa, she said, “I absolutely fell in love with the story. I thought it was brilliant. And it was flattering to my ego that a younger guy is in love with me. But I don’t recommend it at all.”
The actor also recalled that she was not confident about playing Tara and even suggested that other actresses could take the part. She added, “As you can see, Sid (Akshaye Khanna) has not come back. He has left me. But the character was brilliant and slightly difficult for me. Knowing me, I was trying to run away to the other side. And I was busy recommending other heroines. Guts hi nahi the ke ye role kar payenge. I didn’t have the guts to play the role. But thank God, better sense prevailed. God is kind.”
Released in 2001, Dil Chahta Hai focused on three friends, Aakash, Sameer and Siddharth, played by Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna. The story followed their lives as they moved from college into adulthood and began dealing with love, changing priorities and personal differences.
The film offered a different look at urban friendships and relationships and went on to become an important film for its generation. Dimple’s Tara also became a memorable part of the story, making her latest revelation about initially being unsure of the role particularly interesting.
