Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 1999 classic 'Hum dil de chuke Sanam' isn’t just remembered for its soulful music and rich visuals, it’s also a film wrapped in intriguing behind the scenes stories that only add to its timeless charm.For starters, while the second half of the movie is set in Italy, the scenic sequences featuring Aishwarya Rai were actually filmed in Hungary. Bhansali felt Italy would resonate more with the audience emotionally and so the setting remained Italian in the script even though the locations weren’t.The journey of casting Nandini was just as cinematic. When Bhansali met Aishwarya at the screening of 'Raja Hindustani,' he was captivated by her eyes, calling them “like fire.”

At that moment he knew, "yehi toh hai meri Nandini." Aishwarya, fully committed to the role, even danced to the iconic 'Nimbooda' number with swollen feet after a chandelier accident on set.Interestingly, the film’s title was initially 'Dil to humne diya Sanam.' And the role of Vanraj, ultimately played by Ajay Devgn had quite a long list of contenders including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and even Sunny Deol. Meanwhile, Kareena Kapoor Khan declined the role of Nandini after feeling she was too young for the movie.

The film’s music, a pillar of its emotional strength, was the result of two years of collaboration between Bhansali and composer Ismail Darbar. The director even cast Smita Jaykar as Nandini’s mother after his own mother admired her performance in the Doordarshan series 'Ghutan.'Another emotional detail: Salman Khan’s character Sameer often looked up to the sky and spoke to his late father, a trait borrowed from Bhansali’s own childhood habit.'Hum dil de chuke Sanam' also sparked real-life headlines as the on-screen chemistry between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai eventually blossomed into a real-life romance.And if you’re wondering where it all began, Bhansali took inspiration from 'Na Hanyate' a Bengali novel by Maitreyi Devi, based on her own life.

These lesser-known nuggets make revisiting 'Hum dil de chuke Sanam' even more special—a film where every frame held not just a story, but a slice of the filmmaker’s soul.