Actors R. Madhavan and Dia Mirza recently took a trip down memory lane upon the August 30 re-release of Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM), recalling how the box office failure of the 2001 romantic drama had left them broken at the time.

During an Instagram live session, Dia and Madhavan revealed that RHTDM’s disappointing box office performance upon its 2001 release had left them questioning their abilities.

“It broke us. It broke our hearts so much because there was so much anticipation, so much expectation. And we worked so hard. But you were right, Maddy. People may not have made it to the theatres back then but they have made time for it over and over again, over the years, and given it so much love,” Dia told Madhavan during the live session.

Madhavan echoed the sentiment, sharing the self-doubt that plagued him after the film’s failure. “There were times when we wondered what our shortcomings were. It was our first film and we had sincerely worked on it. Then, we started blaming ourselves that had I got fitter or done the film more sincerely, or had the costumes been better… anything. You start looking for the imperfections,” he said.

Also starring Saif Ali KHan, the Gautham Vasudev Menon directorial has been triggering positive responses from the audience since its re-release. Though the romantic drama hadn’t performed well at the box office during the initial release, it went on to acquire the status of a cult favourite over the years.

At the live session, Dia also recounted the exhausting travel schedule they endured while shooting, which took them across South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Mumbai. She recalled the tension and anxiety among the film’s cast and crew during the shooting schedule as the film’s release date was coming closer.

The actress also revealed that Madhavan had a strong belief in the film’s potential right from the beginning. “You had said to me, ‘It is a very special film and it will really connect with the audience’,” she reminded the actor.

“It’s been 23 years now. The film has been aired on some TV channel or the other. It is there on OTT platforms too. Viewers have watched it already. Yet, when I see housefull shows, I am confused why people want to pay money to watch the film again? Why are they coming to the theatres? This means they still want to experience the film on the big screens,” Madhavan signed off, reflecting on the success of the film upon its re-release 23 years after it had arrived in the cinemas.