Aamir Khan filmed Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’s alternate happy ending as director Mansoor Khan refused to come: ‘He sat 20 feet away with his newspaper’

Dalip Tahil recalled how distributors were initially unhappy with the tragic climax of Aamir Khan's Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and wanted director Mansoor Khan to alter it.

Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla in a still from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. (Pic: IMDb)

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was iconic in many ways. It not only marked the directorial debut of Mansoor Khan, son of legendary filmmaker and producer Nasir Hussain, but also the debut of Aamir Khan, who would later become one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars, in a leading role. In a recent interaction, Dalip Tahil, who played a pivotal role in the film, revealed how the classic almost had a happy ending.

Speaking to Galatta India, Dalip recalled how distributors were unhappy with the tragic climax and wanted the director to alter it. He said, “In the film, both Juhi and Aamir Khan die in the end. It had a tragic end. And the film also had a new actor and a new director. In fact, I was the most ‘known’ name in the film. Everyone liked the film, but not its ending. The distributors asked the makers to change it to a happy ending.”

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Dalip went on to share that the cast even shot for an alternate ending, which Aamir Khan directed since Mansoor refused to participate. “Nasir Hussain was a legendary producer, but at that time, he was having a tough period in his career. After this feedback, he got a little rattled, and we all went back to shoot the happy ending.” He added, “Mansoor Khan put his foot down, and he sat 20 feet away with his newspaper from where we were shooting. He refused to come. Aamir Khan shot the happy ending.”

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Although the distributors preferred the alternate ending, Mansoor stood firm. Dalip recalled, “When they showed the happy ending to the distributors, they liked it, but Mansoor Khan told his father that ‘if you choose to keep this ending then remove my name as a director of the film.'”

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At that moment, legendary writer Rahi Masoom Raza stepped in to support Mansoor. Dalip shared, “Rahi sahab said, ‘this film will be a hit irrespective of the ending. However, if you keep the happy ending, this film will be a normal hit, but if you keep the sad ending, this film will be a classic and the audience will never forget it.'”

Looking back, Dalip admitted that even after more than 30 years of its release, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak remains a fan-favourite and a landmark in Indian cinema.

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