Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 17, 2019)

On August 15, 2003, Salman Khan’s Radhe stormed into the theatres. Director Satish Kaushik who’d gone for an Independence Day celebration to Jallianwala Bagh with Jeetendra and Anupam Kher, was disappointed when his flight was delayed and he missed the Delhi premiere. But by the next day, they knew their out-of-the-box gamble and a mainstream star had paid off. People loved Salman in Tere Naam, even when he was in a kachcha, locked up as insane. And as the bad boy, they loved his jeans, jackets and wayward locks.

“Barber shops, even in Pakistan and Afghanistan, have posters advertising the cut,” informs Satish, saying it was his hero’s brainwave. “He wasn’t happy while shooting in Hyderabad, so he dashed to Mumbai and returned after two days with his hair set, flipping it back in a way that was soon widely copied.”

Boney Kapoor had wanted to remake Vikram’s 1999 Tamil romance drama, Sethu, with Ram Gopal Varma. Then, the rights passed to Nitin Manmohan, before landing with Sunil Manchanda and Mukesh Talreja. During an ad film shoot, Sunil confided that no director wanted to do the film and Satish who’d seen the original and was free, jumped on board. He had three hits—Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai and Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai —all South remakes, behind him, and when he met Salman, he was told he’d been on their radar. They kicked off on a set in Film City within a fortnight since the actor had already shaved his head for the scenes in the asylum.

The film was earlier titled Radhe, but Satish recalled Jaan Tere Naam, which had released almost a decade ago, and suggested they drop ‘Jaan’ and call their film ‘Tere Naam’. They also got Himesh Reshammiya to compose the title track after a couple of songs had been recorded. “His ‘ Odhni’ and ‘ O Jaana’ along with the title track are playing even today,” Satish says.

He could have got any top heroine opposite Salman, but looking for a simple, pretty girl, he spotted Bhumika Chawla in a Telugu TV show while at Boney and Sridevi’s house. Boney admitted even he’d thought of her for the film. She’d done an ad with Sunil and lived behind Satish’s house. “She came with some pictures shot in a small studio and I knew I had found my Nirjara,” the director smiles. The original had the couple meeting at a tea stall, in the remake, they decided to set their scenes in a railway station canteen. “Bhumika suggested Devlali station and since not many trains halted there and we wanted them in the frame, we shot those scenes around the timetable of the trains.”

The film, based on the real-life story of Sethu director Bala’s friend, is considered one of Salman’s best performances despite his apprehensions that Radhe was not a good role model for youngsters. “There are boys like him in small towns and the audience connected with Radhe,” reasons Satish who learnt a lot from his hero and recently, during Bharat, they shared some fond memories.

He has a script for the sequel but has yet to take it to Salman. “Tere Naam is a milestone in our careers and I’m glad despite pressures we stuck to the original end. We might have made a little more money with a happily-ever-after love story, but it’s the tragic romances that live on in people’s hearts,” Satish says.