Shah Rukh Khan's Pardes Clocks 27 Years: Subhash Ghai Says 'It Was A Challenging Task'

Pardes, the musical romantic drama featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Mahima Chaudhry, Apurva Agnihotri and Amrish Puri in the leads, clocked 27 years on Thursday. Released in 1997, the film remains a cult classic, thanks to its engaging storyline and soul-stirring music. To mark the special occasion, the film’s director, Subash Ghai took to social media and penned down a heartfelt post stating that it was a challenging task to make a film with a fresh talent and an established star like SRK.

Sharing a poster of Pardes on Instagram, the Showman of Bollywood wrote, “Isn’t it rewarding to get a message from your protegee with this picture celebrating 27 years of Pardes. Thank u dear MAHIMA for your sweet msg today as “feels like yesterday.”

“Yes. It was a big challenge to make a film with fresh talent with an established star like SRK with his super performance. You were blessed with a Filmfare award for your great performance and the movie ran for 60 weeks,” he continued.

Ghai concluded the post by congratulating Mahima, SRK, Apurva and the entire team of Pardes for completing 27 years. “It still resonates. I LOVE MY INDIA,” he wrote.

In the recently released trailer of Arbaaz Khan’s talk show The Invincibles Series Season 2, the director opened up about working with King Khan in Pardes. He could be heard saying, “Maine Pardes mein Shah Rukh Khan ke saath kaam kiya. Uske aur mere beech manmutaav chalta rehta tha, tu-tu main-main chalti rehti thi (I worked with SRK in Pardes. We had our share of disagreements).”

Earlier while talking to ANI, Ghai shared that the biggest challenge that SRK faced while filming for Pardes was to avoid his romantic side. “During every scene and song, I reminded him (SRK) that he needed to hide his compelling, romantic side to justify Arjun’s character. It was difficult for him, but he nailed it!” he said.

The melodies of Pardes remain fresh and alive in fans’ hearts, resonating across time. Tracks like Yeh Dil Deewana, Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain, Meri Mehbooba and I Love My India remain popular, reflecting the film’s timeless appeal. The movie remains a testament to love, culture and the enduring magic of cinema.

Besides this, Ghai is known for helming films like Ram Lakhan, Karz, Saudagar, Karma, Khal Nayak, Hero, Vidhata, Meri Jung and Taal. All of these films were massive hits.