returned to feature film direction after seven years with
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Development Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was officially announced on 6 July 2021 by director
Karan Johar through his social media accounts, with the title initially stylized as
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. The announcement confirmed
Ranveer Singh and
Alia Bhatt in the titular roles, alongside
Dharmendra,
Jaya Bachchan, and
Shabana Azmi in key supporting parts. The project marked Johar’s return to feature film direction following
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), and notably, his first directorial venture not to feature frequent collaborator
Shah Rukh Khan in any capacity; Khan had appeared in all of Johar's previous directorial ventures, including the joint production venture
My Name Is Khan (2010), with the notable exception of
Student of the Year (2012), which saw him partner up as a presenter and producer and marked Bhatt's debut, while
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil featured both Bhatt and Khan in separate cameo appearances. Johar began developing the film during the
COVID-19 pandemic after his planned historical drama
Takht—which also featured Singh and Bhatt and was to be written by
Sumit Roy and
Hussain Haidry—was postponed indefinitely. He assembled a writer's room comprising
Ishita Moitra,
Shashank Khaitan, and Roy to develop the story, screenplay and dialogues. Khaitan, who was given his first big break by Johar, had notably worked with Bhatt and cameo star
Varun Dhawan, her fellow debutante in
Student of the Year alongside
Sidharth Malhotra, in his first two films; he and Johar later produced Malhotra-starrer
Yodha (2024), which was his first independent production debut.
Casting The film marked
Jaya Bachchan’s return to acting after over a decade; she had last worked with Johar in
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). She was confirmed to play the female antagonist.
Dharmendra agreed to join the project, stating that the role suited his age and screen image, and expressing enthusiasm about reuniting with Bachchan and
Shabana Azmi after several decades. The role of Jamini was initially offered to
Sharmila Tagore, a frequent collaborator of Dharmendra, but she exited the project before production began due to a
cancer diagnosis.
Anjali Anand, a television actress, was cast in her first film role as a member of the Randhawa family.
Saswata Chatterjee was originally approached for the role of Chandon Chatterjee but declined the offer; the part eventually went to
Tota Roy Chowdhury, whom Chatterjee later stated was “his biggest regret” to have turned down. Bashir and Azmi were previously supposed to work with Johar on
My Name Is Khan (2010), but while Azmi opted out due to scheduling conflicts with other projects, Bashir was replaced due to a rejected visa application. Johar stated that the character of Rocky was inspired by gym-going
Instagram influencers from
West Delhi whom he came across during the pandemic. To prepare for the role, Singh trained with
Delhi-based influencer Yuvraj Dua, learning his dialect and body language. For the Chatterjee household, Roy Chowdhury trained in
Kathak for six months to authentically portray a professional dancer. Johar cited his own childhood experiences of being mocked for dancing effeminately as inspiration for the character. Singh also trained for over a month for the “
Dola Re Dola” dance sequence, choreographed by
Vaibhavi Merchant, who noted that he was initially nervous as he was not a trained classical dancer. The Randhawa family home was filmed at Gaur Mulberry Mansions, a luxury residential complex in
Greater Noida.
Filming Principal photography began on 20 August 2021 in
Mumbai. The second schedule commenced in October 2021 in
New Delhi. The third schedule, initially planned for early 2022, was delayed due to the surge of the
Omicron variant variant of COVID-19 and resumed in April 2022 in and around Mumbai and Delhi. In August 2022, television actors
Arjun Bijlani,
Shraddha Arya,
Sriti Jha, and
Arjit Taneja filmed cameo appearances for a sequence in the film. Later that month,
Dharma Productions released a video announcing the completion of principal photography, except for one song which was delayed due to Bhatt’s pregnancy. The final song, "Tum Kya Mile", was filmed in March 2023 in
Jammu and Kashmir, marking the end of the shoot. Johar cited influences from classic
Yash Chopra films for the visual aesthetic of “Tum Kya Mile”, and referenced the grandeur of
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s filmmaking in designing the “Dhindora Baje Re” sequence. The film's initial cut was three hours and twelve minutes long. Following multiple test screenings with over 500 participants, Johar and editor Nitin Baid edited the film over a period of six months, ultimately reducing the runtime to two hours and forty-eight minutes. ==Soundtrack==