Indra Kumar was one of the most successful filmmakers in the 90s and worked with stars like Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, and Aamir Khan. Recently, he recalled a surprising moment from his 1995 hit film Raja where a particular scene where Sanjay Kapoor slaps Madhuri Dixit received massive applause from the audience, and people who criticized the actor previously clapped for him.
In a new interview with Siddharth Kannan, Indra Kumar shared that Sanjay Kapoor, who made his acting debut in Prem, failed at the box office just weeks before his film Raja’s release with the actor. So, many doubted the performance of Kumar’s film at the box office, including the filmmaker himself.
He shared, “People started making fun of me. Even I lost hope. In my mind, I thought, ‘Indra Kumar, consider this your last film. After this, let’s go to Haridwar.'”
But, the film turned out to be a huge success. Kumar credits Madhuri Dixit, choreographer Saroj Khan, and the film’s writers for saving the project. He revealed that he once watched the film in Mumbai’s Novelty theatre and was surprised because the same person who criticized Kapoor on his last release a couple of weeks ago was clapping for him.
Recalling the moment, he described that Madhuri’s character accuses Sanjay’s on-screen brother of misbehavior, but instead of believing her, the actor slaps her, taking his brother’s side.
“When I was watching the movie in Novelty (theatre), the same people who were ridiculing Sanjay Kapoor for his previous film were clapping for him on the scene where he slaps Madhuri Dixit,” revealed Kumar, who witnessed the power of script at that moment.
Raja was released on June 2, 1995, and featured an ensemble cast including Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Mukesh Khanna, Dalip Tahil, Rita Bhaduri and Himani Shivpuri in key roles.
