Sooraj Barjatya got calls for finding the right ‘muhurat’ for weddings after Hum Aapke Hain Koun’s success: ‘How would I know?’

Sooraj Barjatya shared how he started to receive calls for sharing the right muhurat after Hum Aapke Hain Koun's success.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | February 1, 2025 11:48 AM IST

3 min read

Renuka Shahane and Salman Khan in Hum Aapke Hain Koun.

Sooraj Barjatya first shot to fame after his debut directorial Maine Pyar Kia but it was after Hum Aapke Hain Koun’s release that he became a force to be reckoned with. While his first film was a love story, his second film looked more like a wedding video full of traditions, rituals and songs. In a recent interview, Sooraj recalled that when the film released, it initially received a lukewarm response from the audience. He also shared that during the shoot, Renuka Shahane would accompany him to learn the ropes of filmmaking and her curious nature sometimes bothered those who were working at the studio.

Renuka had a significant role in the film playing Pooja, whose death triggers the climax of the film. Sooraj said, “I remember when I used to shoot for the film, I used to pick up Renuka from her home because she wanted to learn the process of filmmaking.” He added, “In the morning, she would stand in the middle of the set without any make-up. So the cleaners there would get annoyed and chase her away. ‘Hato yaha se humein safai karna hai’. But, as soon as she would get dressed in the bhabhi attire with all the makeup, the same cleaners would treat her with so much respect. Such was the power of the bhabhi character,” he shared Digital Commentary.

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Sooraj shared that such was the success of the film that people would sometimes call him to ask for muhurats for their family functions. The filmmaker shared, “I started to receive calls where people would ask me for muhurat. Even today, when I attend any wedding… they look at me like, ‘Who will put the varmala first? The girl or the guy?’ And I am like, ‘How would I know?’ I find these things very hilarious and sometimes quite embarrassing as well. Even lyric writers used to call me and say, ‘Iss function ka koi gaana dedo‘.”

Sooraj also recalled how the film picked up after a few days of its release. “The first five days of the film, I didn’t get any reaction from people. The response was quite lukewarm. One of the reasons behind it was it had about fourteen songs, later we reduced about 2.5 songs. It was a musical and people weren’t prepared for it. The film didn’t have a structure but moved in a flow.”

Hum Apke Hain Koun starred actors Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Renuka Shahane, Mohnish Bahl, Anupam Kher, and Alok Nath in important roles.

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