Before venturing into direction, Naresh Malhotra assisted in YRF movies like SAWAAL (1982) and CHANDNI (1989). He directed his first film under the YRF banner; the multi-starrer YEH DILLAGI (1994) starring Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Kajol in lead roles. It had major commercial success and the music of the film was highly appreciated too.