Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Saajan director recalls Sanjay Dutt watching Madhuri Dixit's close-ups
A long time ago, a movie called 'Saajan' was made in India with three very famous actors.
People started talking about whether two of them, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, were dating.
The movie's director, Lawrence D'Souza, recently talked about these rumours.
He said everyone was having so much fun filming that they didn't notice the gossip.
But he did remember Sanjay sometimes looking through the camera while Madhuri's close-up shots were being filmed.
Sanjay himself said in 1993 that he and Madhuri were just colleagues and friends.
He even said sorry to Madhuri because the rumours caused her trouble.
Madhuri said she was not dating him.
Sanjay joked that he wished the rumours were true.
Years later, the two actors worked together again in the movie 'Kalank'.
In a new interview, Saajan director Lawrence D'Souza said the cast was so absorbed in filming that they paid little attention to romance rumours about Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit.
D'Souza, who also operated the camera, recalled Sanjay sometimes looking through the camera while he was shooting Madhuri's close-ups.
The director said he saw the reported break-up after Dutt's 1993 arrest 'in the news' and had 'no idea' about Madhuri's reported decision to distance herself amid family opposition.
In a 1993 Movie Magazine interview, Sanjay Dutt denied dating Madhuri, joking 'I wish I had a scene going on with Madhuri,' and said he apologised to her after the story broke while she was shooting Khel in Kenya.
Dutt and Dixit shared the screen in Thanedaar (1990), Saajan and Khalnayak (1993), and reunited decades later in Kalank (2019).
- Who
- Bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, Saajan director Lawrence D'Souza, and interviewer Vickey Lalwani
- What
- D'Souza addressed the romance rumours around the making of Saajan and recalled Dutt's 1993 comments denying any relationship with Madhuri
- When
- Rumours began around Saajan's release in 1991; Sanjay Dutt spoke in a 1993 Movie Magazine interview; D'Souza's interview is recent
- Where
- India's Hindi film industry; Madhuri was shooting for Khel in Kenya when the story broke in the press
- Why
- To address long-standing public speculation about the alleged relationship between the two actors during and after the making of Saajan
Reports of a Romance
Denials by the Actors
Alleged affair during Saajan
Reports of a Romance
Press reports speculated that Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit began a romance around the making of Saajan; D'Souza recalled Sanjay watching Madhuri through the camera during her close-ups.
Denials by the Actors
Sanjay Dutt denied the affair, joking 'I wish I had a scene going on with Madhuri. But I don't,' saying he gets friendly with every co-star, while Madhuri categorically denied being involved with him.
Break-up after Dutt's 1993 arrest
Reports of a Romance
Reports claimed the couple split after Sanjay Dutt's arrest in 1993, with Madhuri reported to have distanced herself amid opposition from her family.
Denials by the Actors
D'Souza said he only saw the break-up 'in the news' and admitted he had 'no idea' about Madhuri's reported decision or her family's role.
- Film
- Saajan, starring Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit
- Release year
- Article 1 says released in 1991; Article 2 refers to it as 'the 1992 film' (discrepancy noted)
- Director
- Lawrence D'Souza (also the cameraman)
- Interviewer
- Vickey Lalwani
- Rumour timeline
- Began around the making of Saajan; reported break-up after Dutt's arrest in 1993
- Dutt's denial (1993 Movie Magazine)
- "I wish I had a scene going on with Madhuri. But I don't."
- Dutt's apology
- Apologised to Madhuri after the story broke in the press while she was shooting Khel in Kenya
- Films together
- Thanedaar (1990), Saajan, Khalnayak (1993), Kalank (2019)
