Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit has shared a delightful behind-the-scenes story from her 1992 romantic drama 'Prem Deewane', recounting how lifelike promotional cutouts of her from the film managed to fool both a close friend and superstar Aamir Khan. The actress shared the anecdote during an appearance on the Marathi reality game show 'Kon Honar Crorepati', where director Sachin Pilgaonkar also joined in to explain the craft behind those now-iconic props.

The Incident That Started It All

Madhuri revealed that a friend who visited the 'Prem Deewane' set arrived while the actress was in her room. Unaware, the friend walked straight onto the set and, upon spotting one of the cutouts, began talking to it — only to realise moments later it was not the real Madhuri. Recounting the moment, Madhuri said, 'A friend of mine had come to the set while we were shooting. She arrived a little late and went straight to the set while I was in my room. Suddenly, she came into my room running and said, 'Madhuri, what are those cutouts you have put up there? I went up to one and started talking before realising it was a cutout!''

The Story Behind the Cutouts

Director Sachin Pilgaonkar explained that the cutouts were central to the film's emotional narrative. In 'Prem Deewane', the character played by Jackie Shroff lives surrounded by life-size images of Madhuri's character after the two are separated — a visual metaphor for longing and loss. Pilgaonkar recalled, 'She is no longer in his life, but he lives in a house surrounded by her cutouts. That was my idea. I wanted them to look as lifelike as possible, so we measured Madhuri's exact height and did a special photo shoot. We spent an entire day photographing her in different outfits and looks for those cutouts.'

Aamir Khan's Mistaken Wave

The most memorable mix-up involved Aamir Khan, who had dropped by the set to meet Sachin Pilgaonkar as he was shooting a project nearby. With the set lights not yet switched on, Aamir spotted one of the cutouts in the dim light and, believing it to be Madhuri, waved at it. Recalling the moment with amusement, Pilgaonkar said, 'He walked in, looked around and spotted one of the cutouts. For a moment, he thought it was Madhuri — and waved to the cutout! I told him, 'That's a cutout.' They had been made so beautifully. It was fun creating them and shooting those scenes. We really enjoyed ourselves.'

About 'Prem Deewane' (1992)

Released in 1992, 'Prem Deewane' was directed by Sachin Pilgaonkar and produced by Ashok Ghai. The romantic drama featured Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Vivek Mushran, and Pooja Bhatt in lead roles. Its music was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi, and the soundtrack included popular tracks such as 'Aise Lagi Aag Barabar', 'Pi Pi Piya', and 'Mohabbat Zindabad'. The film remains a nostalgic touchstone for fans of early 1990s Hindi cinema. Madhuri's appearance on 'Kon Honar Crorepati' is expected to bring fresh attention to her storied filmography.