What if Dil Chahta Hai’s (2001) Goa trip went wrong? From that thought was born Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut, Madgaon Express. The comedy revolves around three friends whose trip to Goa leads to a series of misadventures. While Kemmu knew that Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani would be the best people to produce it, he didn’t have anyone in mind to direct it.

“I had written the film for myself to act in. But when I narrated it to Farhan, he suggested that I direct it,” he smiles, pleased at how direction happened to him accidentally.

Kemmu remembers starting work on the script in 2016, at a time when he wasn’t satisfied with the acting offers in hand. “I felt I wasn’t getting the opportunities I wanted. Do I want to crib about the opportunities that I don’t have, or work on creating opportunities? That’s how Madgaon Express happened.” He felt confident about screenwriting as he had previously written the Hindi dialogues for Raj-DK’s (Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK) Go Goa Gone (2013).

Madgaon Express stars Divyenndu, Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary. While Divyenndu took over the role that Kemmu had written for himself, the filmmaker is happy about his decision to not star in his directorial debut. “It would have been too much to handle for my first film.”

Kemmu has been acting since the age of six. As he begins a new chapter in his career, he says he has been influenced by the directors with whom he worked on comedies. “I did Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke [1993] with Mahesh Bhatt, Dhol [2007] with Priyadarshan, Golmaal with Rohit Shetty, 99 [2009] and Go Goa Gone with Raj-DK. I saw them at work, absorbed it and then tried to find my own voice.”

Actor Navneet Nishan played Maya in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and the character was head over heels for Rahul, played by actor Aamir Khan. “I was so nervous being on a set with Aamir, Juhi Chawla and Mahesh Bhatt (director). I was a nobody and they were such massive stars,” says Nishan.

She adds, “There was a scene that got edited. After our engagement, I go to Rahul’s home and give him a peck on the cheek. There was a lipstick mark on his cheek when I kissed. So later, Aamir being Aamir, said, ‘This has to be done in continuity’. So, all through the day, I kissed him at least eight times. I came home and told my friends that I kissed Aamir Khan all day long (laughs).”

Nishan recalls a funny scene when she was pelted with eggs. “We realised ande zor se lagte hain, so Aamir made sure they were cracked enough before they were thrown at me. I’m a vegetarian and I couldn’t bear the smell of eggs. Thank God, I wore a wig that I could throw away, else my hair would have smelled for days,” she ends.

Actor Dalip Tahil, who essayed the role of Mr Bijlani -- a shrewd and cunning Sindhi businessman -- in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, gives credit to the film’s lead actor Aamir Khan (who played the role of Rahul Malhotra in the film) for casting him in the project, and director Mahesh Bhatt for giving him the liberty in front of the camera while playing the negative character.

As the film clocks 30 years of its release, the 70-year-old goes down memory lane and reflects on its enduring impact, while sharing some intriguing behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

“One random day, Aamir called and asked if I was at home, and within half an hour, he was there at my door. He offered me this role stating that it’s a very eccentric character, and he wanted me to do it,” the actor reveals, adding that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull off the role.

“I had never done such an over-the-top role in my whole life. But Aamir was sure I’d be able to do it. Aur Aamir ko na bolna mumkin hi nahin hai. His confidence gave me the courage to do it,” adds Tahil.

Tahil calls it a “pleasure” to have worked with Bhatt. “He always said, ‘Just do it and don’t think about anything else, I’ll handle’. I love the way he works, as there’s a lot of liberty he allows his actors. He asks you to move naturally and the camera movement is altered according to that.”

In one of the scenes where the kids in the film had to throw eggs at Tahil’s character, the actor recalls how Aamir planted a prank on set. “The eggs were supposed to be artificial but Aamir bought real ones with small cracks. The moment gave everyone a laugh and it helped in making the shot look more real and natural,” he quips.

One of the biggest highlights of Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), which completes 30 years of its release today, was the song Ghoonghat Ki Aad Se, composed by Nadeem-Shravan. Actor Juhi Chawla recalls that she and co-actor Aamir Khan memorably joined forces with just assistants for the filming of the song in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

“We had shot the film and just this song was left. I don’t know why but only the assistants turned up on shoot. Mahesh Bhatt (director), Tahir saab (Hussain, producer), Pravin Bhatt (cinematographer), Saroj Khan (choreographer) — everyone sent theirs. The kids were so talented. Sometimes, you can’t explain how magic happens,” the actor recalls, adding that Khan was “very hands-on while shooting” with his suggestions, as it was his father’s production.

“In one of the scenes, he told me to jump before I started running, to give the scene a comic feel. He kept a poker face in certain scenes, knowing if he did that, the situation and all of us acting would look funnier,” she signs off.