The rumours about Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt dating each other went rife after their film Saajan. (Photo: Express Archive)Released in 1991, the romantic drama Saajan, starring Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, went on to become a major commercial success. Its songs became chart busters, while audiences also developed a strong affection for its characters. However, alongside the film’s success, there was another story that generated considerable buzz at the time, rumours of an alleged romance between Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, which was believed to have begun around the making of Saajan.‘Sanjay would look at Madhuri’s close-ups’In a new interview with Vickey Lalwani, director Lawrence D’Souza opened up about the rumours of the alleged romance. According to the filmmaker, the cast and crew were so immersed in the process of making the film that they barely paid attention to the speculation surrounding the two actors. “We never really paid attention to it because we were having so much fun while shooting. We didn’t even realise when the film was completed. So, in all that fun, we didn’t really notice what was happening,” he said.However, D’Souza did recall Sanjay occasionally looking through the camera while he was filming Madhuri’s close-ups. The filmmaker, who also operated the camera, said, “I was the cameraman as well as the director, so sometimes he would look through the camera when I was shooting Madhuri’s close-ups. He would watch her, but I never really thought about whether anything was happening or not.”In the same conversation, D’Souza also addressed the reported break-up of the couple, which happened after the actor’s arrest in 1993. Asked about it, the filmmaker said, “I saw it in the news.” When asked about Madhuri’s reported decision at the time to distance herself from Sanjay, particularly amid opposition from her family, D’Souza admitted that he was unaware of the details. “I have no idea,” he said.‘I wish I had a scene going on with Madhuri’Sanjay, however, had spoken about the rumours and his equation with Madhuri himself in a 1993 interview with Movie Magazine, shortly after he was released from prison for a brief period in October that year. During the interview, Dutt was asked about Madhuri having categorically denied being involved with him. He responded, “I didn’t get affected by her statement. I have been her colleague and I have done a lot of films with her. See, I need to establish a proper rapport with all my co-stars, it may be Madhuri or Sridevi. For instance, during the first few days of Gumraah, I wasn’t comfortable because you know how Sridevi is. She is aloof and I had to get talking to her. So what Madhuri said didn’t bother me that much, in fact, it didn’t bother me at all.”Also Read | Sanjay Dutt recalls the biggest lesson he learnt in jail, calls film industry ‘cut-throat’Dutt also recalled approaching Madhuri himself to apologise after reports about their alleged relationship began making headlines. “This story broke out around the time of Saajan. In fact, when the story broke out in the press, she was shooting for Khel in Kenya. So, when we had a schedule of Saajan after that, I went up and said sorry to her. Because she was under public scrutiny for no fault of her. She took it well,” he said.Story continues below this adAsked directly whether he had actually dated the actor, Dutt responded with humour, “I wish I had a scene going on with Madhuri. But I don’t. Look I get friendly to every co-star of mine. If you see me with Raveena Tandon, you will feel I am having an affair with her too.” Addressing speculation that the two might eventually marry, he added, “There has to be something on between us for me to marry her.”Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit share the screen in several films, including Thanedaar (1990), Saajan (1991) and Khalnayak (1993). They reunited decades later for Kalank in 2019.