Some of Bollywood's biggest hits have origin stories every bit as dramatic as what eventually played out on screen. Ghayal, released on June 22, 1990, is exactly that kind of film. Its script was turned down by producer after producer, and it only found backing when hero Sunny Deol turned to his father, superstar Dharmendra.
A Story Written With Kamal Haasan In Mind
The script, screenplay and dialogues of Ghayal were all written by Rajkumar Santoshi himself. Interestingly, he had originally conceived the story with Kamal Haasan in mind. Ghayal marked Santoshi's debut as a director, though he was far from a newcomer to filmmaking. He had earlier worked as an assistant to acclaimed director Govind Nihalani on Ardh Satya. Cinema ran in his blood, his father P.L. Santoshi was a well known name in his own right, having worked as a producer, director, screenwriter and lyricist.
Rejected At Every Door, But They Kept Trying
When the plan involving Kamal Haasan didn't move forward, Rajkumar Santoshi took the story to Sunny Deol instead. Sunny liked the script, but producer Subba Rao attached a condition to backing it, he wanted Sunny Deol to lower his fee. Sunny agreed to that too, yet the deal still fell through. The two of them then went knocking on the doors of several other producers. Some didn't like the story, others weren't convinced by the hero. Every attempt ended the same way, with nothing to show for it.
Sunny Deol Once Described The Struggle Himself
In an interview, Sunny Deol spoke about how many obstacles came up while Ghayal was being made. According to him, when Rajkumar Santoshi first came to him with the subject, the producer accompanying Santoshi walked out midway. Sunny said he had asked Santoshi why the producer had run off when it was Sunny who was supposed to be signed on. That set off their search for a producer, and they approached a long list of people, but no one seemed to like the subject. Sunny found it puzzling that a story he personally loved wasn't landing with anyone else. Eventually he went to his father, narrated the story to him, and Dharmendra liked it immediately. That gave Sunny the confidence he needed, and Dharmendra told him to go ahead and produce it himself, that is how Ghayal finally came together.
The Muhurat Shot Came From Dharmendra's Own Father
The film's music was composed by Bappi Lahiri, and its song Sochna Kya, Jo Bhi Hoga Dekha Jayega became hugely popular at the time. Ghayal's muhurat shot was given by Dharmendra's father, Kewal Kishan Singh Deol, while Sunny Deol's mother, Prakash Kaur, was also present at the film's launch. It's said that Sunny Deol wanted to cast Dimple Kapadia in the film, but Dharmendra turned down the idea. Meenakshi Sheshadri was signed for the role instead.
A Cast Packed With Strong Performers
In the film, Sunny Deol played Ajay Mehra while Amrish Puri played Balwant Rai. They were joined by Raj Babbar, Moushumi Chatterjee, Shafi Inamdar and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in key roles. Annu Kapoor also appeared in a role that was small in screen time but left an impression.
A Boxer's Search For His Brother That Became A Classic
Ghayal's plot grips the audience from start to finish. Ajay Mehra, played by Sunny Deol, is a boxer whose elder brother Ashok Mehra, played by Raj Babbar, works for Balwant Rai, played by Amrish Puri. Balwant Rai has Ashok Mehra made to disappear, and Ajay Mehra's search for his missing brother eventually leads him straight to Balwant Rai. Alongside the action, the film carried a strong emotional core, which is part of why audiences connected with it so deeply.
A Same Day Box Office Clash With Dil, Which Aamir Khan's Film Won
An interesting coincidence is that on the very day Ghayal released, June 22, 1990, Aamir Khan's film Dil also hit theatres. The two films went head to head at the box office, and Dil came out on top in that race. Dil went on to become the highest grossing film of 1990.
A Budget Of About 2.5 Crore, Earnings Of Over 20 Crore
Despite losing out to Dil, Ghayal still made box office history in its own right. The film was made on a budget of roughly 2.5 crore rupees and went on to earn more than 20 crore rupees, an enormous sum for that time. It turned out to be the second highest grossing film of 1990. Ghayal also won 2 National Awards and 7 Filmfare Awards. Over the years it has grown into a cult film, and it still commands a strong fan following today.
The Deol-Santoshi Pairing Went On To Make More History
After Ghayal's success, Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi went on to deliver more superhit films together, including Damini and Ghatak. Notably, Amrish Puri delivered powerful performances in all three of these films, leaving his mark on each one.
