When Javed Akhtar revealed ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga’ was written for Madhuri Dixit

Whenever Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga begins to play, most listeners instantly picture Manisha Koirala from '1942: A Love Story'. Over the years, the song and the actress have become inseparable in popular memory. However, in an old interview, lyricist Javed Akhtar revealed that the iconic song was originally written with Madhuri Dixit in mind, but she later exited the film.

What Javed Akhtar revealed

At a public event, Javed Akhtar opened up about the film’s original casting and explained that Madhuri Dixit was initially the female lead of 1942: A Love Story. Keeping her in mind, he wrote Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga. He said, “Iss hall mein ye baat-cheet do log jaante hain, ek main aur ek Madhuri Dixit... Woh ye ki jis picture ka ye gaana hai, originally usmein cast ye hui thi... 1942 ki original heroine ye hain. Mujhe Taj mein ye ek party mein mili thi aur maine inse bahut shikayat ki ki mujhe maloom tha aap heroine hain, maine toh aapke liye gaana likha tha aur aapne woh film hee chhod di.”
He added that he felt happy the song was eventually performed for her on stage, saying, “Lekin mujhe khushi hai ke aaj ye gaana inke liye gaaya gaya... isliye ke ye gaane inhee ke liye likha gaya tha..”

Manisha on being compared to Madhuri

In the early 1990s, Manisha Koirala was often called Madhuri Dixit’s lookalike. In an interview with ANI in 2024, she said, “Honestly, those days, I wasn't flattered.”
With maturity, her perspective changed. Manisha later said she grew to admire Madhuri deeply. She said, “But today, I am. Because she is so beautiful. She is so graceful. And not only that, she is a wonderful woman. As a person, I just love her. And it was quite an honour. By then, I had also matured. My eyes had opened and I was seeing, my goodness, such a humble person. Super talented and so beautiful.”
Both Madhuri Dixit and Manisha Koirala worked together in Rajkumar Santoshi’s 'Lajja' in 2001.

How Madhuri helped Manisha’s career

Interestingly, Madhuri also played a quiet role in Manisha’s journey. Manisha later revealed that Madhuri had noticed her during a photoshoot and suggested her name to filmmaker Subhash Ghai. “She had seen me in Rakesh Shrestha's photoshoot. And she had actually told Subhash ji that I've seen one girl, ‘You should see her for Saudagar’. That's how Subhash ji called for my photograph from Rakesh Shrestha.”

On the work front

Madhuri Dixit will be seen in 'Mrs Deshpande', which will stream on JioHotstar. Meanwhile, Manisha Koirala was last seen in the Netflix series 'Heeramandi' .



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