Anand–Milind recall no distributor wanted to buy Aamir Khan-Juhi Chawla’s ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’

Veteran composers Anand–Milind revealed that Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was initially rejected by distributors, who called its music weak. Released independently by Nasir Hussain, the 1988 film became a blockbuster, with its iconic soundtrack and debut stars Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla

Mumbai: Veteran composer duo Anand–Milind revealed how Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla starrer ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ faced a roadblock before it went on to become a blockbuster. He revealed that no distributor initially wanted to buy the movie with many dismissing the film’s music as “too weak”.

Appearing on the music reality show, ‘Indian Idol’, the legendary composers revisited the journey of the 1988 romantic drama after contestants Anshika Chonker and Tanishk Shukla performed one of its songs.

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Recalling the difficult days before the film’s release, Anand said, “After the film was completed, a trial show was held for distributors so that they could buy it. But nobody wanted to purchase the film. Every distributor said the music was very weak, very mellow, and wouldn’t work. At that time, everyone believed that only loud and energetic music could become successful. In the end, Nasir Hussain Sahab had to release the film himself in Mumbai.”

The composer also fondly remembered witnessing the film’s phenomenal theatrical run after its release. “Later when ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ was released, I would often visit Gaiety-Galaxy theatre in Bandra to see how audiences were reacting. Even in the second, third, fourth, fifth and twelfth weeks, the shows were running housefull. I noticed that many college students would come only to watch the songs and leave after that. They knew exactly when each song would play,” he shared.

During the interaction, rapper Badshah who is a part of the music reality show in the capacity of a judge, asked Anand about the inspiration behind the duo’s timeless melodies and the challenges of composing music that has remained relevant across generations.

Responding to the question, Anand credited his father, veteran music composer Chitragupt, as his first inspiration. “My first inspiration was my father, Chitragupt ji, because we grew up listening to his music. After that, the 1960s became our biggest inspiration. It was the golden era of Hindi film music. Composers like SD Burman, Madan Mohan and many others created extraordinary music. With ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, everything was new, a new hero, a new heroine and a new director. We didn’t face any difficulty composing the music. Mansoor Khan himself was a drummer and played the piano. When a director understands music, it makes a huge difference,” he said.

Directed by Mansoor Khan and produced by Nasir Hussain, ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ marked the debut of Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla as lead actors. The film emerged as one of the biggest hits of 1988, while its soundtrack, featuring classics such as ‘Papa Kehte Hain’, ‘Ae Mere Humsafar’ and ‘Gazab Ka Hai Din’, continuing to be chartbusters.