A look back at Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit's rumoured love affair

The two actors will soon be sharing screen space after almost a quarter of a century

After Sridevi's sad demise, film-maker Karan Johar has had the opportunity to cast veteran actor Madhuri Dixit in his period drama Kalank, opposite Sanjay Dutt.

The upcoming film can probably be commended as having one of the biggest ensemble casts of recent times, with Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sonakshi Sinha starring in it as well, reported The Indian Express.

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But the biggest news is that of Madhuri and Sanjay coming together. The actors will be seen sharing screen space after nearly 25 years, which comes as a bit of surprise seeing as how they are former lovers. Or at least, the rumour mills had claimed so.

Back in the 1990s, the Khalnayak duo made headlines for not just for their work but an alleged relationship too. There were numerous reports of being in love, especially after the release of their film 1991 hit Saajan.

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Madhuri and Sanjay have worked in numerous films together, namely Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988), Ilaaka (1989), Kanoon Apna Apna (1989), Thanedaar (1990), Saajan (1991), Khalnayak (1993), Sahibaan (1993) and Mahaanta (1997). Many had claimed to have seen the pair getting close with one another on film sets as well.

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Before all the rumours though, there was a time when Madhuri would speak very highly of the Bhoomi actor. An excerpt from Yasser Usman’s book Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy mentions her quotes regarding Sanjay from earlier interviews. “My favourite partner is Sanjay Dutt, he’s a real joker… and his stories make me laugh all the time, but he is also a gentleman," she once said.

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In another, the dancing diva stated, “Sanju is a fantastic person. He has a loving heart and, in contrast to the widely held view, a good sense of humour. He does not play games. He is open and uncomplicated.”

Once again, such statements from Madhuri only made the whispers stronger. But neither she nor Sanjay ever made any official statements.

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In fact, it was Khalnayak director Subhash Ghai who came to their rescue and issued an official statement saying Sanjay will never marry Madhuri.

Many claim their much-talked-about relationship took a different turn when Sanjay was arrested for illegal possession of arms in the 1993's Mumbai bombings case. The Ek Do Teen star decided to completely dissociate herself from Sanjay after his imprisonment.

PHOTO: INDIAN EXPRESS

After he walked out of prison for a short period in October 1993, Sanjay talked at length about his relationship with Madhuri to Movie Magazine.

When the interviewer asked him about how he felt when Madhuri categorically denied being involved with him, he replied, “I didn’t get affected by her statement. I have been her colleague and I have done a lot of films with her."

Sanjay also revealed that he had apologised to the Tezaab actor for the ongoing rumours. "She took it well,” he said. On being asked if he really dated Madhuri, he quipped, “I wish I had but it's not true."

Kalank is all set to release in April 2019 and fans are eagerly waiting to see one of the most talked-about pairs of Bollywood back on the silver screen together.

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