There was frequently a lot of something called "mixed dhal," which was all people could afford by way of dhal in those days of postliberalization inflation.
Other restrictions have boosted the price of potatoes, dhal (a tropical pea) and cabbage by 50% to 100%.
Farah Khan in Indiainfo.com Director Farah Khan says, "It'sa song sequence, which is a tribute to the Leena Chandavarkar-Jeetendra number 'Dhal gaya din' in the yesteryear hit 'Humjoli'."