Upon its debut, Sooraj Barjatya claims that Hum Aapke Hain Koun was unpopular: "I recall the crowd leaving after every song."

After its 1994 release, Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Aapke Hain Koun shattered all box office records. It was the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time, a title it kept for 15 years, with global receipts of 250 crore. But things did not start off too well for the movie. In fact, on its first weekend, it was in danger of failing financially. Hum Aapke Hain Koun was Sooraj's second directorial, and he spoke candidly about how he witnessed viewers leaving the movie in a recent interview. Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Mohnish Behl, Renuka Shahane, Alok Nath, and Reema Lagoo were among the actors who starred in the movie. Only 6 crore was spent on the film's modest production costs. 

However, it had a dismal debut weekend in India, taking in barely 29 lakh.

"Maine Pyaar Kiya was a surprise box office success while Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!" Sooraj recalls. had a poor takeoff. Although we had high hopes, the movie didn't really take off until four days later.

According to Sooraj Barjatya, the experience made him realise how important it is to leave everything up to the audience. "I learned it really early with Hum Aapke Hain Koun," he continued. because even though I thought my movie was the best, no one liked it at the premiere! I can still picture the crowd leaving after each song! I initially believed that I had done well, but I soon began to wonder, "Ye kya hogaya" (what had transpired). 

After day four, word-of-mouth helped Hum Aapke Hain Koun gain popularity. It broke Disco Dancer's record for highest-earning Indian film ever by grossing over 100 crore in India alone and more than that internationally. This Friday saw the release of Sooraj's new movie, Uunchai, which, like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, has been expanding through word of mouth since a mediocre day one.