Love and God: Film Begun in 1963 Reached Cinemas in 1986 After Deaths of Director and Two Actors

Films today are made in a few months or a year or two. In the past, filmmaking took much longer, and producers often had to wait for the right time, weather and the actors' dates to line up. Yet one Bollywood film took a full 23 years to be completed and reach audiences, and what happened during its making and before its release was equally shocking. That film is Love and God.

The story of the film stretches from 1963 to 1986. In that period its production stopped twice, and the director and two actors died.

Love and God was based on the famous love story of Laila and Majnu. Production began in 1963, and Guru Dutt was chosen to play Majnu.

But Guru Dutt died in 1964. After his death the work stalled and production of Love and God was halted for some time.

About seven years later, in 1970, director K. Asif resumed work on the film. He chose actor Sanjeev Kumar to replace Guru Dutt.

But when shooting began, there was another major blow. Asif died in March 1971, and after his death work on the film stopped once again.

His ambitious project remained incomplete after his death. About 15 years later, his wife Akhtar Asif decided to complete the film. She worked on it with producer-director K.C. Bokadia.

After years of waiting, the film was finally completed and Love and God was released in cinemas in 1986.

But the film's journey did not end there. Lead actor Sanjeev Kumar also died before the film was completed and released. As a result, many of those with whom the film began never got to see it on screen.

For this reason, the 23-year journey of Love and God is regarded as one of the most unusual and emotional in Bollywood history. The attempt to bring the Laila-Majnu love story to the screen faced many obstacles. The film, begun in 1963, reached audiences in 1986, many years later.