FILM · 1992 · INDIA
Vishwatma
67 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (67)
- #001
The producers initially wanted to reunite the same three male leads from their earlier box-office hit Tridev (1989). However, because a large portion of this film was to be shot in Kenya, Jackie Shroff could not take part due to his busy schedule, and Chunky Pandey replaced him.
- #002
Gulshan Grover had cut his moustache for the film, reasoning that it made him look like Kamal Hasan. After shooting a few schedules for the film, he arrived on set with a week's worth of moustache, and Rajiv Rai politely asked him to shave it because it would break the film's continuity. Gulshan refused, but Rajiv asked him to come clean-shaven the next day for the shooting scene; Gulshan showed up the next day but did not report for the shoot, ignoring Rajiv for three days and not answering his calls. The cast of Vishwatma had to wait endlessly because of Gulshan's unprofessional behaviour, and Rajiv, having learned that Gulshan was shooting another film at the Sea Rock Hotel, arrived there with a few tough friends (Sunil Shetty) and caught him. Rajiv slapped Gulshan hard and threatened to remove his name from the film and cut his role, and a frightened Gulshan reported for the clean-shaven Vishwatma shoot the same day.
- #003
The song Saat Samundar Par became a rage and made Divya Bharati famous.
- #004
Amrish Puri and his relatives are all named after snakes: Puri's name is "Ajgar", meaning python, his brother's name is "Naagdansh", meaning snake bite, and his son's name is "Raajnaag", meaning king cobra.
- #005
Rajiv Rai reused many actors from Tridev, including Amrish Puri as the main villain and Raza Murad, Dalip Tahil, Tej Sapru and Dan Dhanoa as secondary villains. One key difference was that Sharat Saxena played a negative role in Tridev, while in this film he played a positive role as the strict but comical commissioner of the Kenya police.
- #006
This was Divya Bharati's debut.
- #007
In 2014, Sajid Nadiadwala bought the rights to the song Saat Samundar Par from the music company Saregama for 1.5 Crore to pay tribute to his late wife Divya Bharti in his directorial debut Kick, in which Salman Khan is seen dancing to the song in a nightclub.
- #008
Jackie Shroff turned down the film because his astrologer advised him not to leave the country for a year after the birth of his son Tiger Shroff.
- #009
The song "Saat Samundar" was shot at "Bubbles Discotheque", a very popular club in Nairobi at the time.
- #010
Rajiv Rai initially considered launching his close friend Sunil Shetty by giving him the role Jackie Shroff could not do, but in the end he decided to cast Chunky Pandey in that role.
- #011
Jackie Shroff was Rajiv Rai's first choice to play Akash Bhardwaj.
- #012
The song "Saat Samundar Paar" was sampled from the Pet Shop Boys' song "Heart".
- #013
The film, directed by Rajiv Rai, had a whole host of villains, including Amrish Puri, Kiran Kumar, Gulshan Grover, Dan Dhanoa, Mahesh Anand, Tej Sapru, Anand Balraj, Salim Ding Dong and Raza Murad.
- #014
Rajiv Rai offered Divya Bharti's role to Madhuri Dixit, who turned it down because she had not gotten a good role in Tridev.
- #015
Near the climax, Naseeruddin Shah's character is chained in a glass-fronted room filled with water, the same situation as in the climax of the 1989 film "Hero Hiralal".
- #016
Rai also included a brief narration by Naseeruddin Shah in the film about the meaning of "Vishwatma", something he had also done with "Tridev".
- #017
The musical inspiration for the song Toofan came from the title song of Muqaddar Ka Badshah.
- #018
The exciting car chase was shot on the open plains of the Masai Mara National Wildlife Reserve, and most of the beach scenes were shot at various beaches and beach hotels in Mombasa. The film's dialogue also uses many Swahili sentences and words, such as "Jambo" (Hello), "Mzuri Sana" (Very beautiful) and "Mimi Ni Kubwa Sana" (I am very big/great).
- #019
Chunkey Pandey was injured while filming a song, and the other actors were waiting for him to return from the doctor. Forest officials arrived and told everyone to board the bus because four panthers had been spotted nearby. However, everyone decided to go and look for the panthers instead. When they reached the official jeep, they asked where they could see the panthers. They little knew that a lion had just boarded their bus and driven away right behind them.
- #020
The film was scheduled to release in December 1991 but was postponed and released in January 1992.
- #021
Jyotsna won the acting competition. She was selected for the film in this way.
- #022
Yuzo Koshiro's S.O.R Super Mix, Streets of Rage 2 - SOR Super Mix [Genesis], sampled the Enigma song "Sadness". This is the same song that was sampled for Vishwatma's theme.
- #023
Francis M.'s song "Touch" sampled the Enigma song "Sadness". This is the same song that was sampled for Vishwatma's theme.
- #024
"Sadeness" was a cover version of Enigma's "Sadness" made by Gregorian. This is the same song that was sampled for Vishwatma's theme.
- #025
"AFTER ONE" (12'' The Happiness Rap) by Real Sadness II sampled the Enigma song "Sadeness". This is the same song that was sampled for Vishwatma's theme.
- #026
Mirage's song "Pebble Mix" sampled Pet Shop Boys' "Heart". This is the same song that was sampled for Saat Samundar Paar.
- #027
Unlimited Beat's Pet Shop Boys Medley (1997) sampled The Pet Shop Boys' "Heart". This is the same song that was sampled for "Saat Samundaar Par".
- #028
The song Saat Samundar was rearranged under the name Across The 7 Seas on Bhinda Aujla's album The Streets of Bollywood 2.
- #029
The title music of the English/Hindi/Malayalam film Looking Eyes also sampled Enigma's song "Sadness" (the same as the Vishwatma title song).
- #030
The song "Maang Mere Bharo" from Sabse Bada Khiladi contained samples of Enigma's Hallelujah and Rivers of Belief. This is the same song that was sampled for the Vishwatma theme. Ranjeet's entry scene in Dulaara also used the same theme.
- #031
The beginning of the song "Dil Legayee Teri Bindiya" was copied from New Kids On The Block's "Hangin Tough". Another song that carries traces of the song is Stephen Encinas's "Lypso Illusion".
- #032
Sonam and Naseeruddin Shah, who had delivered the 1989 hit Tirchitopiwale in Tridev, were brought together again in the film. The song Dil Legayi Teri Bindiya was picturised on them.
- #033
This is child actor Usta Manjunath's last film.
- #034
Gulshan Grover took inspiration from Sanjay Dutt for his hairstyle.
- #035
Claudio Bisio feat. Rocco Tanica's song "Rapput" sampled Enigma's song "Sadness". This is the same song that was sampled for Vishwatma's theme.
- #036
Onu Bella - Uude maailma minek and Anna ennast kätte (a parody of Enigma - Sadeness) sampled Enigma's song "Sadness". This is the same song that was sampled for Vishwatma's theme.
- #037
The film was shot in Kenya.
- #038
Enigma's song Hallelujah and Rivers of Belief was recreated as the theme of Vishwatma.
- #039
While filming the song "Aankho Mein Hai Kya," Chunkey Pandey dislocated his arm, and because the song was shot in the jungle and there was no doctor on set, he had to be taken to a vet. It was as if they had seen a tiger come out from behind the bushes while the song was being filmed.
- #040
The Pet Shop Boys' "Heart (Dance Mix)" was a remix of "Heart" by producer Andy Richards and the Pet Shop Boys, remixed by Shep Pettibone. This is the same song that was sampled for "Saat Samundar Paar."
- #041
Ayesha Jhulka was offered the film but turned it down. That was when Divya Bharti was signed.
- #042
Divya Bharti and Jyotsna got into a major fight with each other during the shooting schedule in South Africa.
- #043
This was the most anticipated film of early 1992. When it was released, it earned only average ticket revenue. Critics felt that Rai tried too hard to recreate the magic of Tridev and that the large ensemble cast made it messy.
- #044
The sounds at the intro of the song "Mere Samne Hain" from Yaar Gaddar were inspired by the intro sounds of the Vishwatma title track.
- #045
Viju Shah said: "When Vishwatma did not do as well as Tridev at the box office, there was a lot of pressure on Rajiv to change composers, but he stayed loyal to me." Shah recalled. "Everyone started saying that because of Tridev and Vishwatma I had a similar composing style, so with Mohra we decided to make every kind of song."
- #046
The mahurat was on 8 March 1990.
- #047
Rajiv Rai wanted Manisha Koirala for the film, but she had a contract with Subhash Ghai. That was when Jyotsna Singh auditioned for the film and signed the contract.
- #048
In the scene where Gulshan Grover tries to make his way along in the van with Divya Bharti, Viju Shah used international background music. The music used was Jean Michel Jarre's "Zooklook."
- #049
The Vishwatma action scene in which Sunny Deol throws the counterfeit money plates into the air uses the intro of the Pet Shop Boys' "Suburbia" (The Full Horror) as its background music. Viju Shah used the barking dogs in "Suburbia" as inspiration for Ravaan Raaj's song "Yaar Mera Mastana."
- #050
When the time came to compose the film's music, Viju Shah insisted that, as with Tridev, he compose the music himself and that Kalyanji Anandji be allowed to be credited officially. However, Rajiv Rai believed in Viju Shah's talent and insisted that he be the film's official composer.
- #051
Rajiv Rai always chose the melodies first and then had Anand Bakshi write the lyrics around the melody. Rajiv needed a song for a nightclub scene. The scene would be Divya Bharti's arrival in Kenya and her meeting/reunion with Sunny Deol at the discotheque. Rajiv chose the Pet Shop Boys' song "Heart" and asked Viju to compose a melody similar to it. The next morning Anand Bakshi called Viju and told him to come with Rajiv. He had written 2 songs for them and they were ready. Anand Bakshi was sure his song would be good enough for the film. Rajiv and Viju were a little surprised because they preferred to work with the music first and then the lyrics. When they went there to listen, the song was a very slow, romantic song. The lyrics were "Saat Samundar Paar," but the melody was very slow and almost classical. Rajiv and Viju were very confused because they needed a fast song and did not know how to tell Anand Bakshi that his song would not work for the film's situation. In the end they took the same lyrics and changed the rhythm to fit the fast music they had composed beforehand for the film's situation.
- #052
Rajiv Rai and Sonam married while this film was in production.
- #053
Gulshan Rai and Rajiv Rai introduced Viju Shah as the official music composer on Vishwatma, and this was Viju Shah's first film as a music composer. Rajiv Rai's later films such as Mohra, Gupt, etc. also had their music composed by Viju Shah.
- #054
Chunkey Pandey regrets not doing Tridev in 1989. He had personally approached Rajiv Rai for the cast, but could not do it due to date issues. He later worked with him on this film.
- #055
The Enigma song "Sadness" was sampled from the album version of the Soul 2 Soul song "Keep On Movin." The intro beats in the Vishwatma title track also have the same sound.
- #056
Rajiv Rai called Gulshan Grover to a hotel lobby for a meeting to sign him for Vishwatma. Gulshan heard the role and liked it very much, but he was offered a very low amount. This upset Gulshan and he decided to turn the role down. At that moment Chunky Pandey called the same hotel and asked Gulshan Grover to come to the phone. Chunky told Gulshan to sign the film, thinking that Rajiv Rai would make a good film and would look after him during the outdoor shoot in Kenya. Gulshan told Chunky that the price offered was very low. Chunky assured him that if he compromised a little on his price, he would not regret his decision.
- #057
Mohnish Behl was the first choice for Gulshan Grover's role in Vishwatma. Mohnish turned it down because he felt he could not do justice to the role.
- #058
Sunny Deol was still suffering from a back problem, yet he worked on the film.
- #059
This was Sunny Deol's last film with Rajiv Rai.
- #060
Tej Sapru and Dan Dhanoa went out walking at night in Kenya and were caught by the Kenyan police, and Rajiv Rai was nearly killed when he rescued them.
- #061
Rajiv Rai faced many problems while working in Kenya because of the country's dictatorial government.
- #062
Kiran Kumar had a brief role.
- #063
This was Chunky Pandey's last film with Rajiv Rai, along with Amrish Puri.
- #064
Sharat Saxena and Dalip Tahil, who played negative roles in Tridev, took on positive roles in this film.
- #065
This was the last Rajiv Rai film to feature Mahesh Anand.
- #066
Rajiv Rai shot the film in Kenya. Because filming there was cheaper than in other countries, he had very few connections in the country.
- #067
During the shoot in Nairobi, two actors were arrested for violating the night rules. There was a rule that you could not go out at night in the country (you could also be shot), since the country was under a military-style government. On top of that, you could not carry dollars on you. The arrested actors had around 10 to 15 dollars on them.
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