It’s been 15 years since Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein. The romance — that “presented” R. Madhavan and “introduced” Dia Mirza — was a remake of the Tamil hit Minnale, but was a box-office non-starter when it released in Hindi in October 2001. But today, RHTDM — as it’s known among fans — has many tune-ins whenever it’s shown on TV. Reason enough for a t2 girl, a fan of the film then and now, to pen 10 reasons why RHTDM remains a cute watch. 

1) The chemistry: They were as different as chalk and cheese. She, protected and petite, who self-admittedly didn’t speak to many boys; he, a college bully who whiled away his time hanging out with his sadak-chhaap friends. But when Reena Malhotra (Dia) and Madhav Shastri (Madhavan) met, sparks flew. What we loved most? That scene when he sees her for the first time. It’s a rainy night. He’s in a phone booth trying to call his dad. Even as the rain comes pelting down, she steps out of her car, takes off her heels and starts dancing with a group of street kids. He stares at her even as the title track plays out. When his dad (Anupam Kher) takes the call, he, still distracted, says: “Main Dilli bol raha hoon Maddy se!”

2) Madhavan the dude: He played the same role in Minnale, but Madhavan brought a different flavour to his Madhav aka Maddy. Yes, he was a stalker… yes, he lied to the girl… yes, he took on someone else’s identity… but there was something so endearing about Maddy, especially when he looked at Reena with those puppy eyes. And we fell for him when he said: “Ek ladki dekhi bilkul bijli ki tarah... one flash... ek chamak aur main apna dil kho baitha ... mujhe lagta hai mujhe uss ladki se behad pyaar ho gaya hai… bas ab ek hi tamanna hai ... rehna hai usske dil mein.” Awww!

3) Dia the stunner: Dia was gorgeous in her debut film, managing to hold her own even when it came to the tricky scenes. And when Reena looked into Maddy’s eyes and said, “I think I am crazy about you”, there were many in the audience who, well, went crazy too! 

4) The courtship: Maddy has to make an impression on Reena in just five days, before her fiance comes calling from America. Today, we are appalled by the lengths he goes to to woo her — from pretending to be someone else to manipulating her feelings — but their courtship is oh-so-cute. He rolls out a surprise birthday bash for her, but forgets to check if it’s her birthday after all and even chomps down chicken even though he’s a vegetarian. We loved that moment when he reads out a romantic novel to her using a torch and then realises she’s slept off on his lap. And he smiles. And no, they don’t kiss... not even once.

 5) Saif the charmer: Fresh from Dil Chahta Hai — the cult buddy film had released in August that year — Saif Ali Khan played the charming Rajiv Samra, Maddy’s rival in college and, in a Bolly twist of fate, the man Reena is slated to get married to. With Maddy often lapsing into a grey zone, especially when Reena discovers his lie and rejects him, Rajiv aka Sam was the guy many girls found themselves attracted to: educated, successful, well-mannered and courteous. And when he picked up that guitar and sang Dil ko tumse pyaar hua, we couldn’t help but fall for him too. 

6) The humour: Most of the jokes — courtesy Maddy’s gang of friends — haven’t aged well, but Vrajesh Hirjee, as Maddy’s friend Vicky, still brings on the laughs. Like when he’s caught by a constable on the road, Vicky turns around with: “Main yahaan ke police commissioner ko jaanta hoon… (pregnant pause) yeh alag baat hai ki woh mujhe nahin jaante!”

7) Daddy cool: Anupam Kher has played dad a few hundred times — including in a film called Daddy — but the man was a riot as Maddy’s dad aka “D.D.” aka Deendayal. Though coaxing your son to pretend to be someone else to win over a girl is a strict no-no, we will just overlook that for the #awww relationship that Maddy shared with his dad. 

8) The songs: Almost every college-goer then —well, I did! — had an RHTDM audio cassette/ CD, that was played on loop. Composed by Harris Jayaraj, almost all the songs — from Kaise main kahoon tujhse to Sach keh raha hai to Bolo bolo to Dil ko — have stood the test of time. Yes, I listen to them even today. 

9) Zara zara: The song to beat all songs. This romantic number — rendered in Bombay Jayashree’s winner voice — remains the ultimate romantic track for many. A rain-washed lawn, he looking into her eyes and she singing: Yuhi baras baras kaali ghata barse/ Hum yaar bheeg jaaye iss chahat ki baarish mein/ Meri khuli khuli laton ko suljhayein tu apni ungliyon se/ Main toh ho iss khwahish mein…. Goosebumps, still.   

10) The final scene: Even as Reena is getting married to Rajiv, Maddy is all set to fly off to San Francisco. But Rajiv lands up at the airport, Reena in tow, and hands her over to Maddy. “I hate you… but I am crazy about you,” she tells Maddy, through her tears. He smiles that smile at her… and they hug. Cheesy Bollywood yes, but still manages to make us smile. 

15 YEARS LATER!

A few days ago, R. Madhavan and Dia Mirza recreated their pose on the RHTDM poster and posted it online with: “And a recreation of the poster.. how gorgeous does @deespeak still look..#15yearsofRHTDM”. 

Shared on t2’s Facebook page, the poster garnered more than 700 likes and 63 shares.

 

Has RHTDM aged well? Tell t2@abp.in