Akshay Kumar-Raveena Tandon’s ‘Ae Kaash Kahin Aisa Hota’ song from Mohra (1994) was originally written for a Dilip Kumar film.
Long before Akshay Kumar-Raveena Tandon’s song ‘Ae Kaash Kahin Aisa Hota’ became the anthem for heartbreak in the 1994 blockbuster Mohra, this melody was destined for a completely different cinematic titan: the legendary Dilip Kumar.
In a throwback interview with Bollywood Hungama, music composer Viju Shah once shared that ‘Ae Kaash Kahin Aisa Hota’ was originally meant to be a part of Dilip Kumar’s directorial debut Kalinga.
Lyricist Anand Bakshi had penned the song, and when director Rajiv Rai happened to read the mukhda, he was instantly captivated. He reportedly told Bakshi saab that if the song wasn’t used in Kalinga, he wanted it for himself. At that point, Rai didn’t even know where he would place it, but he was certain it deserved to be heard. This was much before the situation in Mohra’s script even came up.
Eventually, the song found its place in Mohra, and it became one of the film’s most loved tracks. Singer Kumar Sanu has often spoken about how special the track is to him. He says he always includes Ae Kaash Kahin Hota in his live shows because of its timeless appeal.
Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar’s directorial debut Kalinga faced numerous delays and eventually never saw the light of day. The film featured him along with Amjad Khan, Raj Babbar, Shilpa Shirodkar, Raj Kiran, Amitosh Mann, Meenakshi Seshadri, and others. Touted to be a grand social drama, Kalinga told the story of an upright, aging judge (played by Kumar himself) who discovers that his own sons are involved in a world of corruption and greed.
Coming back to Mohra, the film became one of the biggest blockbusters of the 1990s and is still remembered for its iconic songs like ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’ and ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast’.
