Vinay Sapru on 20 years of Salman Khan starrer Lucky: No Time For Love, “The locals in Russia welcomed us with warmth and nostalgia”

Filmmaker duo Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru’s Lucky: No Time For Love recently completed 20 years. Starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, who made her debut with this film, Mithun Chakraborty among others, the movie was a love story amidst a war torn Russia. On the film’s 20th anniversary, Vinay Sapru looked back at the movie in an interview with us.

20 years of Lucky: No Time For Love. What was the experience like?

Lucky: No Time For Love was our very first film, and the excitement was absolutely palpable. It was our dream to bring a fairy-tale world to life on the big screen, and we were truly blessed to have Sohail Khan as our producer. He gave us complete creative freedom — a rare and invaluable gift — and stood by our vision unwaveringly.

For me, the film is special for Lataji’s duet with Adnan Sami ‘Shayad yehi toh pyar hai’

After finishing the recording, my co-director Radhika Rao and I were driving back, playing the song in the car… it moved us to tears. Lataji’s voice, her emotions—she brought the divinity to the song that we were seeking as co-directors. Also watching her dub for our very first film was a moment of pure blessing, especially for us as musical filmmakers. What makes it even more special is knowing that Veer-Zaara and our film were the last two songs she sang for… before she stopped singing… and Yash Chopra ji… we are great fans… we couldn’t have asked for more. We were truly blessed.

You shot the film on some really tough terrain?

Our search for the perfect fairy-tale setting led us to Saint Petersburg, Russia, a place where no Hindi film had ever been shot before. It was an alien land with an alien language, but the moment we landed, something magical happened. The locals welcomed us with warmth and nostalgia, remembering the golden ties India once shared with them through cinema, from Raj Kapoorji’s ‘Mera Joota Hai Japani’ from Awara to Mithun Chakraborty ji’s ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ from Disco Dancer.

You shot in Russia with Russian crew?

We were lucky to work with an incredibly hard-working Russian crew. Together, we shot across frozen landscapes — from the icy Gulf of Finland to the rugged trenches of the Russian army. We filmed action sequences with real tanks, soldiers, guns, and live ammunition — a surreal and unforgettable experience. The entire journey was nothing short of a cinematic fairy tale in itself — one that still holds a special place in our hearts, even two decades later.

Also Read: 20 Years of Lucky – No Time For Love EXCLUSIVE: Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru recount the night Russian crew underestimated Salman Khan and paid the price: “They vowed, ‘We’ll NEVER EVER challenge Salman Khan again’”; fans in Maratha Mandir told us, ‘Aapne bhai se bahut paise kharch karaye’”

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