23 Years of Dhadkan EXCLUSIVE: Dharmesh Darshan BREAKS silence on how Suniel Shetty’s character Dev become so rich in just 3 years: “I was inspired by The Great Gatsby”

The much-loved film Dhadkan (2000) completes 23 years today. Starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Shilpa Shetty, the romantic drama is remembered for its plot, performances, evergreen music, and memorable moments. On the other hand, a section of netizens often wonder how Dev (Suniel Shetty) became so stinking rich in the film in a matter of three years. They demand to know his secret so that even they can have a rags-to-rich story like Dev!

On Dhadkan’s 23rd anniversary, Bollywood Hungama exclusive spoke to Dharmesh Darshan about it. He replied, “If you remember, there’s a dialogue in the film between two high-society women. One woman asks, ‘Waise yeh Dev karta kya hai?’. The other lady replies, ‘Koi kehta hai (woh) business magnate hai. Koi kehta hai (woh) computer wizard hai. Koi kehta hai (woh) kisi politican ka rishtedaar hai. Par sannu ki? Apna toh asool hai - nacho, gaao, khaao, piyo aur get out kar do’!”

So, is Dharmesh Darshan implying that he didn’t intend to make it obvious how Dev earned a fortune? The veteran filmmaker replied, “Why should I? Time has proved that the film is relevant even today. Suppose I would have said that instead of Rs. 500 crores, usne 50 rupaye se 50 crore banayein. How relevant it would have been then today? If anything, I had a vision about it. You cannot do everything cinematically. It should emotionally connect.”

He continued, “I can point to a similar instance in Sholay (1975) as well, that why Gabbar Singh stepped out of his luxury chamber just before the interval and after the Holi song! But then, popular cinema can’t be made like that. You need to have an eye for details but at the same time, you need to give an emotional space. Also, you can’t be illogical. But this is a creative license that a filmmaker enjoys.”

To explain his point, Dharmesh Darshan gave another example, “I was inspired by The Great Gatsby. It’s a book by F Scott Fitzgerald and it has been adapted a couple of times as well. In this story, Gatsby comes out of nowhere. He used to throw parties and people used to wonder where the hell did, he come from!” The latest film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which came in 2013, featured Leonardo DiCaprio as James Gatz aka Jay Gatsby. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, it also starred Amitabh Bachchan in a cameo.

Dhadkan, meanwhile, is a story of Anjali (Shilpa Shetty), a rich girl who’s in love with the poor chap, Dev. Dev is full of himself and behaves rudely with Anjali’s father. The father refuses their affair and gets Anjali married to Ram (Akshay Kumar). Anjali, at first, detests Ram but slowly, falls in love with him. Three years later, Dev returns to her life. Now, he’s a millionaire and he decides to win back Anjali, leading to chaos in the married couple’s life.