Yeh Dillagi

Not to be confused with Dillagi... Yeh Dillagi.

Yeh Dillagi (transl. This Cheerfulness) is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film film directed by Naresh Malhotra and produced by Yash Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. An adaptation of the 1954 American film Sabrina, which in turn was based on Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, and Kajol.^[3] The narrative centers on two affluent brothers who fall in love with Sapna, the daughter of their family’s chauffeur, who rises to fame as a successful fashion model.

Yeh Dillagi
Theatrical-release poster
Directed by	Naresh Malhotra
Written by	Sachin Bhowmik
Produced by	Yash Chopra Uday Chopra
Starring	Akshay Kumar Kajol Saif Ali Khan
Cinematography	Raju Kaygee
Edited by	Naresh Malhotra
Music by	Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen
Production company	Yash Raj Films
Distributed by	Yash Raj Films
Release date	6 May 1994 (1994-05-06)
Running time	148 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹ 2 crore[2]
Box office	₹ 10.77 crore[2]

Principal photography took place in Mumbai and Ooty, with cinematography by Raju Kaygee. The music was composed by Dilip Sen–Sameer Sen, with lyrics by Sameer. The soundtrack, particularly the song "Ole Ole," became widely popular and contributed to the film’s appeal.

Released theatrically on 6 May 1994, Yeh Dillagi emerged as a commercial success, grossing ₹10.8 crore against a production budget of ₹1.6 crore. It received positive reviews from critics, with Kajol's performance earning particular acclaim. At the 40th Filmfare Awards, the film received 4 nominations: Best Actor (Kumar), Best Actress (Kajol), Best Music Director (Sen–Sen) and Best Male Playback Singer (Abhijeet for "Ole Ole"). The film was later remade in Telugu as Priya O Priya (1997).^[3]

Plot

Vijay and Vicky Saigal are the sons of Bhanupratap Saigal, the affluent owner of Saigal Industries. While Vijay is serious and business-minded, managing the family enterprise with dedication, his younger brother Vicky is carefree and flirtatious. Vicky becomes infatuated with Sapna, a successful fashion model who is the daughter of their family’s chauffeur, Dharampal.

Despite her modest background, Sapna is ambitious and self-reliant. Shanti, the matriarch of the Saigal household, strongly disapproves of her son’s interest in someone of a lower social status and demands that Dharampal send Sapna away to Bombay. While Vicky persistently pursues Sapna, Vijay, initially trying to assist his brother, begins to fall in love with her himself. Sapna, too, develops feelings for Vijay.

The situation becomes complicated when both brothers express their love for Sapna. Vicky, believing that Vijay is supporting his relationship with her, is unaware of the growing mutual affection between Vijay and Sapna. Meanwhile, Shanti threatens to dismiss Dharampal unless he leaves town with his daughter. As father and daughter prepare to depart, Vicky attempts suicide to compel his mother to reconsider. Shanti eventually relents and consents to the marriage.

However, upon learning the truth, Vicky selflessly steps aside, giving his blessing to Vijay and Sapna. In the film’s conclusion, Vicky encounters a new romantic interest, Anjali, suggesting that he, too, will find love.

Cast

• Akshay Kumar as Vijayendra Saigal "Vijay"
• Saif Ali Khan as Vikram Saigal "Vicky"
• Kajol as Sapna
• Reema Lagoo as Shanti Saigal
• Saeed Jaffrey as Bhanupratap Saigal
• Deven Verma as Gurdas
• Achyut Potdar as Dharampal
• Neena Softa as Sujata
• Karishma Kapoor as Anjali Kashyap (special appearance)

Music

The soundtrack of Yeh Dillagi consists of seven songs composed by the music duo Dilip Sen–Sameer Sen, with lyrics by Sameer. The album features vocals by prominent playback singers including Lata Mangeshkar, Kumar Sanu, Pankaj Udhas, and Udit Narayan. The track "Ole Ole," performed by Abhijeet, became particularly popular and topped music charts at the time of release.^[4]

According to Box Office India, the soundtrack sold approximately 2.2 million units, making it the eleventh highest-selling Bollywood music album of 1994.^[5]

#	Title	Singer(s)	Duration
1.	"Hothon Pe Bas"	Lata Mangeshkar, Kumar Sanu	04:54
2.	"Ole Ole"	Abhijeet	04:32
3.	"Dekho Zara Dekho"	Lata Mangeshkar, Kumar Sanu	04:45
4.	"Naam Kya Hai"	Lata Mangeshkar, Kumar Sanu	03:28
5.	"Main Deewana Hoon"	Pankaj Udhas	05:07
6.	"Lagi Lagi Hai Yeh Dil Ki Lagi"	Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet	04:21
7.	"Gori Kalai"	Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan	05:15
8.	Dance Music (Instrumental)	Instrumental	01:05

Reception

Box office

Yeh Dillagi was released theatrically on 6 May 1994 and was made on an estimated budget of ₹1.6 million (US$19,000).^[1] According to Box Office India, the film emerged as a commercial success, ranking among the highest-grossing Hindi films of 1994.^[1]

Critical reception

Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics.^[6] The Indian Express praised Kajol's performance, noting that "she looks better than she did in Baazigar (1993) and gives a believable performance."^[7] India Today, in a review dated 15 June 1994, described the film as "a relief" after a season of intense thrillers, calling it "romance, comedy and the foot-thumping 'Ole Ole.'"^[8]

Accolades

Award	Date of the ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
Screen Awards	1995	Best Actress	Kajol	nom
Filmfare Awards	25 February 1995	Best Actor	Akshay Kumar	nom
		Best Actress	Kajol	nom
		Best Music Director	Dilip Sen–Sameer Sen	nom
		Best Male Playback Singer	Abhijeet (for "Ole Ole")	nom

Home media

Distributed by Eros International, the film was later released on DVD on 8 October 2007,^[9] and became available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ beginning 23 May 2017.^[10]