Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak turns 35! Dalip Tahil remembers Aamir Khan as a ‘cute schoolkid with rosy cheeks’

April 29, 2023 marks 35 years of the release of director Mansoor Khan’s blockbuster musical hit Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT) that made the then newbies Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla overnight stars. Over three decades on, senior actor Dalip Tahil - who portrayed the role of Dhanraj Singh, Aamir’s onscreen father in the movie - reminisces about what he describes as the “renaissance of romance”. 

Produced by Nasir Hussain, QSQT came during the ‘angry young man’ era. “During that period, no one dared to make a romantic film, that too with newcomers. So, it was a huge deal for the film to turn out so successful. QSQT was an important and historic film that gave birth to two stars,” Dalip told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview. 

Speaking about the first time he saw Aamir, Dalip said, “Three kids were sitting on a bench and one of them was Aamir. He looked like a cute school kid with his red and rosy cheeks. Nasir sahab pointed his finger towards him, sharing that he is the newcomer to be launched in our film, and Aamir raised his hand like we used to do in school. It was a very innocent and cute moment.”

Also read: Dalip Tahil on playing Aamir Khan’s father in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak at 31: Didn’t even think before taking it up 

Dalip was shooting for Ramesh Sippy, Jyoti Sarup’s television serial Buniyaad when Nasir offered him the role in QSQT. A major box office hit that year, the romantic musical film also received widespread critical acclaim. It was a modern-day take on classic tragic romances like Layla and Majnun, Heer Ranjha and Romeo and Juliet. The film is hailed for reinventing the romantic musical genre in Hindi cinema. 

Next, Dalip is playing a pivotal character in the Vidyut Jammwal-starrer upcoming spy thriller film IB71, directed by Sankalp Reddy. 

Also read: IB71 trailer: Vidyut Jammwal’s spy-thriller looks promising