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Tilak Rishi, born in India, has been working as a career corporate executive, after doing his MBA. Passionately pursuing his hobby for writing, he also remained a regular contributor to newspapers in India and the U.S. Many true happenings and characters he came across in life, including interaction with former president Bill Clinton, inspired Paradise Lost and Found, his first novel. A family saga, it starts from Kashmir, when this paradise on earth is lost for the tourists who thronged in thousands every year to enjoy its scenic splendor. Terrorists have turned it into one of the most dangerous places in the world. The family is not only a witness to the loss of this paradise, but also to another tragedy of much bigger magnitude. In the aftermath of the partition of India, along with millions uprooted from their homes in Pakistan, the family leaves behind all that it has in Lahore. Starting from a scratch on the difficult path to progress, it still has many joyful moments when along the way it makes a difference in many a life. The survival-to-success story climaxes in California where the family finds the paradise that was lost in Kashmir.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Bollywood's Costliest Box-office Crashes

It is sad to note that some of the most expensive films in Hindi cinema history couldn't even come close to recouping their production cost, thereby inflicting lasting damage to all concerned with it, especially the producers. Ironically, most of these are treasured films and can never be described as flops. To be a true flop, a film has to fail in every sense of the word. But the films listed below are great movies in many respects, but for some reason failed at the box-office at their first run at the cinemas.

1. Jhansi Ki Rani (Sohrab Modi, 1952): The first technicolor Hindi film, for Jhansi Ki Rani Modi had technicians flown from Hollywood. Mehtab starred as the young queen of Jhansi who took arms against the British during the Mutiny of 1957, with Modi essaying the role of Rajguru, her chief advisor. The film was notable for its authenticity, its spectacular battle scenes and Mehtab's stirring performance. Ironically, the film miserably failed because the audience found Mehtab far too old for the role of the young queen. It was a costly misfire for Modi as the film crashed at the box-office.

2. Dil Diya Dard Liya (A. R. Kardar, 1966): Dilip Kumar benchmarks the anti-hero in this movie based on the famous novel Wuthring Heights. In spite of the power-packed performance of Dilip Kumar, the film crashed because the Indian audiences couldn't digest their most favorite hero turning into a negative character. Even the immortal 'ghazals' rendered by Mohd. Rafi under Naushad could not save the film from being a disaster for producer/director A. R. Kardar.

3. Mera Naam Joker (Raj Kapoor, 1970): It is indeed unfortunate that Raj Kapoor's magnum opus, loosely based on his own life, was the biggest loser for him at the box-office. If Barsaat showered money for him to build the famous R. K. Studios, MNJ became the cause of the worst financial crisis he went through, which forced him to mortgage his studios.

4. Dastaan (B. R. Chopra, 1972): Remake of BR's earlier classic, Afsana, this gripping romance miserably flopped at the box-office, showing once again that the original will always remain in the hearts and minds of the cinegoers and they will not accept the new versions. One of the most successful moviemakers of Hindi cinema, B. R. Chopra felt devastated by the disastrous failure of Dastaan, in spite of Dilip Kumar playing double role in the film.

5. The Burning Train (Ravi Chopra, 1980): Produced by B. R. Chopra, and inspired by the Hollywood hit Towering Inferno, The Burning Train, despite excellent technical effects and the biggest starcast comprising Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Vinod Khanna, Vinid Mehra, Neetu Singh and popular supporting actors, did not take off at all at the box-office. The viewers perhaps did not relish viewing the burning train, which they had always associated with romance and excitement in life as well as in movies. It was B. R. Chopra's most expensive film and the biggest failure in his career as a producer.

6. Ajooba (Shashi Kapoor, Gennadi Vesilyev, 1991): Shashi Kapoor's lavish Indo-Russian fantasy starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia, Rishi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Amrish Puri, was such a big disaster for Shashi that he took long time to recover from the financial strain it caused him - "I closed down my film company because after Ajooba I had a lot of losses. It took me some time to pay back everybody"(Shashi Kapoor in an interview with Rediff.

7. Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (Satish Kaushik, 1993): One of India's most expensive films, RKRCKR was also one of the biggest commercial disasters for the producers which also brought a big set back to Anil Kapoor's career. A con movie, it was perhaps ahead of its time, because Bunty Aur Babli, very similar in theme, produced much later, became the biggest grosser at the box-office for the year 2005.

8. Asoka (Santosh Sivan, 2001): Shahrukh Khan's Asoka has a lot going for it - two very attractive and talented leads, rich mix of action, romance, comedy and drama, yet it turned out to be a big failure at the box-office. The audience perhaps did not digest ending the film right after the brutal battle of Kalinga. They would have liked to watch the glory of the peaceful phase of Emperor Ashoka's reign, after the Kalinga killings.

9. LOC Kargil (J. P. Dutta, 2003): One of the most expensive Hindi movies with the biggest ever starcast, LOC remains the most shocking failure in Hindi cinema. A tribute, a homage to our brave selfless soldiers who have laid down their lives to safeguard ours, LOC should have succeeded, but it did not. The viewers viewed it as an extra lengthy documentary, and not as a great feature film.

10. Kisna (Subhash Ghai, 2005): Billed as an epic cross-cultured romance between a British Commissioner's daughter and son of her family's Indian servant, this period piece was producer/director Subhash Ghai's attempt to resurrect his once great career, but failed him miserably. The viewers probably had fresh memories of another such romance in Lagaan and it was too soon to watch a film with similar theme, but with a weak script. The film was not only a commercial disaster for Ghai, but also a great set back for Vivek Oberoi's career.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Bollywood's Classic Comedies

Cinematic comedy can be considered the oldest film genre and one of the most prolific and popular. Comedy films are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. These are light-hearted screenplays crafted to amuse, entertain and provide enjoyment. Comedies observe the deficiencies, foibles and frustrations of life, providing merriment and a momentary escape from day-to-day drudgery of life. Here is a tribute to the makers of Hindi cinema's top ten comedies which have the funniest moments and scenes ever seen on screen.

1. Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (Satyen Bose, 1958): This is a true classic. Simple story, wonderful music, great acting, brilliant cast and phenominally hillarious. Three brothers (brothers in real life too) manage a garage. The eldest (Ashok Kumar) is a mysogynist because he was jolted in love once. Hence, he does not want his younger, and in his eyes naive, brothers (Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar) to get after women. So he stops them from any female contact whatsoever. But the inevitable happens, and they fall in love one after the other. What causes is all sorts of hilarious situations. The story, like the 1928 Chevrolet in the film, ran amok. It gives you more laughs than you can handle. The lead duo, Kishore and Madhubala were a treat on the screen. The film's highlights are the songs, 'Ek ladki bhigi bhagi si', 'Panch rupaya barah ana' and 'Babu samjho ishare', besides, ofcourse, Kishore Kumar's antics. The movie stands tall amongst the greatest comedies ever.

2. Johar Mehmood in Goa (I. S. Johar. 1965): Comedians Mehmood and I. S. Johar hit a surprise jackpot with the rollicking entertainer Johar Mehmood in Goa. Mehmood's no-holds barred comedy provides the perfect match to Johar's subtle, cynical humour and the sparks flow. The comedy team clicked in a big way and the comic duo went on to make several more capers which immortalized them in Bollywood's muster by incorporating their names in the films' title - Johar Mehmood in .... The story of two brave patriots, who dedicate their lives to liberating Goa from the Portuguese, is punctuated with pauses for romance and some of the most hilarious situations seen on screen. The film's highlight is introducing two very talented actresses, Simi Grewal and Sonia Sahni. The film is also remembered for Mohd. Rafi and Manna Dey's hit duo, 'Ye do diwane dil ke, chale hain dekho milke'.

3. Pyar Kiye Ja (C. V. Sridhar, 1966): A mad mad comedy highlighting the eccentic Kishore Kumar and the comic genious of Mehmood, Pyar Kiye Ja spawned many remakes. Shashi Kapoor plays Kishore Kumar's friend who falls in love with Om Prakash's daughter, Rajshree. After a string of lies and impersonations, Kishore manages to convince Om Prakash to marry his daughter off to Shashi. The problem arises when Om Prakash expresses a desire to meet Shashi's parents. He produces Kishore disguised as an old man as his father in one of the most hilarious situations in the movie. Mehmood, Om Prakash's son, plays an aspiring film director in the movie. The classic scene when he narrates his to-be-made horror film story to his dad replete with sound effects of raindrops, door creeking and wind blowing, is one of the funniest scenes of Hindi cinema. Not surprising, Mehmood won the Filmfare (1967) Award for Best Comedian for his role in the film.

4. Padosan (Jyoti Swaroop, 1968): This is an unforgettable gem. Every scene, song and dialogue remains etched in mind. The two uncrowned kings of comedy, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood are at their best. Add to this an excellent performance by Sunil Dutt as Bhola, a simpleton to the core youngman, and you have a super entertainer. Bhola falls in love with a lovely girl, Bindu (Saira Banu), his 'padosan' whom he admires from his window every day. Being very naive, he approaches his friend Vidyapathi (Kishore Kumar), a music teacher and singer, to win her over. Bindu, because of an earlier tiff with Bhola, pretends to be in love with her music teacher, Master Pillay (Mehmood). What follows is sheer joy and laughter. The trio enact their characters magnificently. Mehmood acting as Masterji was superb. A highlight of the movie is some hilarious numbers, particularly, 'Ik chatur naar karke singar' and 'Mere samnewali khidki mein'.

5. Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar (Rajendra Bhatia, 1973): To cover up his disappearance from home whole night atop a giant wheel at a carnival with an attractive young woman due to power failure, Sunil Mehta (Kiran Kumar) tells his very suspicious wife, Geeta (Radha Saluja) a lie. This lie takes them through one impossible situation after another. The highlight of the film is Champak Bhoomia, both the fictitious (Asrani) and the real (Paintal), who between them create the funniest situations in the film. In fact, Asrani won the Filmfare (1974) Award for Best Comedian for his role in the movie. The great comedians, I. S. Johar and Mehmood add to the mirth, Johar being nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. The film was also nominated for Best Director, Best Film and Best Story. The movie is also remembered for Kishore Kumar's hilarious number, 'Mujhe meri biwi se bachana'.

6. Chupke Chupke (Hrishikesh Mukherjee, 1975): With every scene rib-tickling, every dialogue hilarious, and a story that has the audience in splits, Chupke Chupke ranks as one of the top comedies in Hindi cinema. Mukherjee once again shows that he is capable of presenting comedy in a sublime manner as he does emotions. Right through the movie not a single scene seems to be out of place. Performances in the movie are the backbone of the film. Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore keep you spellbound for the initial part of the movie while Amitabh Bachchan steals the show in the later. The high point of this comic caper is the perfect timing that Dharmendra and Om Prakash share, making their scenes a treat to watch. Another highlight of the movie is its melodious music by S. D. Burman.

7. Golmal (Hrishikesh Mukherjee, 1979): Immensely witty and hilarious, Golmal comes out to be one of the most favorite comedies of all times. Utpal Dutt, with his impeccable comic timing is the backbone of the movie. With his landmark moustache, he is a true master of mirth. This is probably his best role in Hindi movies. Amol Palekar perfectly fits into the role of Ram Prasad, who has to keep covering up throughout the film for his one lie at the beginning when he goes for a job interview. He outrightly proves why he is renowned as an actor of extraordinary calibre. The supporting cast, Deven Verma, Dina Pathak, David and Shobha Khote add flavor to the outcome. The story penned by Sailesh Dey offers tremendous scope for the funnies. Screenplay writer, Sachin Bhowmick revels in throwing his characters into corny situations from which they extricate themselves only after extravagant bursts of imagination. The movie is also remembered for its hummable number 'Aanewala pal'. Golmal won Filmfare (1980) Awards for Best Actor (Amol Palekar), Best Comedian (Utpal Dutt) and Best Lyricist (Gulzar).

8. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (Kundan Shah, 1983): No cheap humor, no poor jokes, just a simple inexpensive movie, yet a great script and wonderful actors make it one of the best comedies ever produced by Hindi cinema. Rib-tickling, side- splitting, it is a comedy as it should be, and so very rarely is. Corrupt politicians, thieving contractors, their scheming rivals and their inapt secretaries, add two idealistic but naive young photographers in the right place at the right time, throw them all together along with a dead body and all hell breaks loose, and it is hilarious. Everyone in the cast - Naseerudin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Punkaj Kapoor, Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik and Om Puri have given brilliant performances. Probably amongst the best. The wittiest satire ever, JBDY will ever remain a cult classic. The film won Filmfare (1985) Awards for Best Comedian (Ravi Baswani).

9. Hera Pheri (Priya Darshan, 2000): A fun ride from start to finish, Hera Pheri took everyone by surprise. Except for Paresh Rawal, the other actors, Suniel Shetty and Akshay Kumar were not looked upon as comedians. But the trio just rocked the nation with this screwball comedy. The film is a comedy of errors. Set in a Mumbai slum where our three protagonists dwell, the movie depicts the hilarious moments created by the simplicity and stupidity of the characters. It is one roller-coaster ride of laughter. Paresh Rawal as the blundering myopic is one of the best comic characters of Hindi cinema. His nervousness and ideocy exasperates the other two. Om Puri as the Sikh villager visiting the city with an army of fellow Sardars is terrific. Suniel Shetty as the somewhat naive do gooder is wonderful. Akshay Kumar excells in his comic timing. The script is superb and the laughter infectious. The film won Filmfare (2001) Award for Best Comedian (Paresh Rawal).

10. Munnabhai M.B.B.S. (Rajkumar Hirani, 2003): A warm charming film, Munnabhai M.B.B.S. is one of the most uproarious and successful films in recent times. The comedy causes rip-roaring laughter. The emotions and comedy have been integrated perfectly. If the comedy bits have you laughing nonstop, then the emotional scenes will definitely have you reaching for a pack of tissues. The film is one of the funniest to come from Bollywood and that is due to spot on comic timing by Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani. Sanjay Dutt puts on the performance of a lifetime as the title character, enacting a wide range of emotions with ease. When his parents visit him from the village, his transition from a Bhai to a doctor makes you roll with laughter. Circuit (Arshad Varsi), his sidekick, adds oodles of zing to the crazy situations. Boman Irani as Dr. Asthana is brilliant as the hyper doctor who believes in 'laughter' therapy. His scenes with Munnabhai in the college classrooms are sidesplitting. The dialogues written in Mumbai tapori are a highlight, 'Bole to' is the classic example. Munnabhai M.B.B.S. won Filmfare (2004) Awards for Best Actor in Comic Role (Sanjay Dutt), Best Film-Critics, Best Dialogues (Abbas Tyrewala) and Best Screenplay (Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Joseph).

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Bollywood's Biggest Runaway Hits

The term 'runaway hit' was initialy used in music world to describe a 'single' which was not formally released but became a hit on its own. The cine-world adopted the term for films which hit bull's eye at the box office although they remain unrecognised by the industry while in the making. By and large, these are low-budget movies made by new comers or comparatively lesser known filmmakers, who are catapulted to the league of the highest ranking on release of the film. The runaway hit is the 'dark horse' amongst the movies that race to win at the box-office. Here is a tribute to the top ten runaway hits of the Hindi cinema.

1. Lal Haveli (K. B. Lall, 1944): The conventional comedian came on the screen as the hero's companion for the first time, perhaps, in Lal Haveli and clicked in a big way when the film became an instant runaway hit. Yaqub, the great comedian of yester years, played singer-actor Surendra's friend in the film and the chemistry between the two and their joining to pull the veteran Kanhayalal's leg whenever they found him flirting with a woman - "Chacha pasina aa raha hai" - pushed the film to heights of popularity. Another highlight of the movie was Noorjehan, the diva of the 40s, and the singing star Surendra coming together for the first time (they later made Anmol Ghadi together). They sang some of their memorable duets in the film - "Dil leke mukar na jana", "Mohania sundar mukhra khol"). Lal Haveli was also noted for the fact that Meena Kumari, then a child star, played Noorjehan as a child. But Lal Haveli is best remembered for its comedy that pulled the crowds for repeat viewing of the film.

2. Ek Thi Ladki (Roop K. Shorey): The wizard of comedy, Roop K. Shorey set new trends in comedy film with Ek Thi Ladki. With Motilal, the greatest of all natural actors with a flair for comedy, Shorey made this movie and the result was a comedy 'dhamaka'. Ek Thi Ladki, the biggest runaway hit, put him on top of the popularity chart of directors of comedy films and rejuvinated the sagging career of Motilal, who faced some failures after a very successful career in the 30s and 40s. Meena Shorey turned an overnight star and came to be known as the Lara Lappa girl after the release of the film, like Madhuri Dixit became Ek Do Teen girl in the 80s after Tezab. The film also helped establishing I. S. Johar as one of the greatest comedians of Hindi cinema. The highlight of the film was the hit song, 'Lara Lappa Lara Lappa Layee Rakhda, Addi Tappa Addi Tappa Lai Rakhda'. The song with Punjabi overtones was the trend setter for popular songs of later years and remains so till today. It is amazing to hear naughtiness in Lata Mungeshkar's voice in the song that became a mendatory part of all the live concerts of the melody queen.

3. Albela (Bhagwan, 1951): One of the biggest musical hits, Albela was also critically acclaimed for direction and performances by Bhagwan and Geeta Bali. It is an inspiring story about a lowly office worker (Bhagwan) who dreams of being a star of the stage. His slow march to the top is helped by the beautiful and successful diva Asha (Geeta Bali) with whom he inevitably falls in love. Bhagwan Dada became synonymous with this film. In fact his minimal dance movements, the gentle swaying of the hips and lift of the hands became a behavoral influence in Hindi films. His form of dance had amazing grace. Years later even Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt were inspired by his dance movements. The film's other great highlight is C. Ramchandra's greatest compositions of his career - 'Shola jo bhadke', 'Sham dhale khidki tale', 'Dhire se aaja ri ankhion mei', 'Balma bada nadan', 'Bholi soorat dil ke khote' and more.

4. Nagin (Nandlal Jaswantlal, 1954): What gives Nagan a place in the top hits of Hindi cinema is the music. Composed by the legendary Hemant Kumar, the theme song perfectly evokes the sounds of the 'been', played by the snake charmers. The song 'Man dole mera tan dole; was an instant hit. So popular was the music that real snake charmers began using the Nagin tunes in their performances, a practice which is carried on to this day. All the musical numbers - 'Jadugar sayyan chod mori bayyan', 'Tere dwar khada ek jogi', 'Mera dil yeh pukare aaja', 'O zindagi ke denewale' etc. were not only top hit songs but also fitted well into the fantasy - the tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers. This runaway hit made stars out of everyone involved including the lead players, Vyjayantimala and Pradeep Kumar.

5. Dil Deke Dekho (Nasir Hussain, 1959): If anyone can say he had a hit formula on hand, it was without doubt filmmaker Nasir Hussain. With a dozen songs and Shammi Kapoor in his top form, Dil Deke Dekho is Nasir Hussain's youth oriented musical hit. Seventeen year old Asha Parekh, the new comer, became a star overnight. The scrubbed-clean teenager represented the new Indian youth with her trendy trouser suits. The highlight of the film is the hit music composed by Usha Khanna, the only established female music director in the male dominent environment of Bollywood. This was her debut film and initially people in the film industry did not believe it was she who gave the music for DDD. when the film was released. They realized the reality of Usha Kanna's glorious entry in the world of Hindi music only when O. P. Nayyar, her mentor, introduced her in the presence of other famous music directors - "Look, this girl is going to overtake us."

6. Love in Simla (R. K. Nayyar, 1960): The movie which introduced to Hindi cinema one of its most talented actresses, Sadhna, has the exuberance of youth, tongue in cheek dialogues and the capricious wit one associates with a classic romantic comedy. Even as it light heartedly delves into the eternal issues of looks in love, Love in Simla captures a class of elitist people at a certain point of time. Simla, the former summer capital of British India, serves as the backdrop for the film's rich protagonists who dance at clubs, live in homes attended to by turbaned bearers but cannot deny the subterranean hurts that lurk underneath. The British have left Simla but some 'burra' houses still retain a colonial hangover. In one such mansion takes place the Cindrella type story of Love in Simla which Nayyar tells with an unerring sense of extracting juice from romantic pulp and knack for tickling the funny bones. The script chooses to crackle with anything-goes humour. And this is what made the film the biggest surprise hit of the year, and debuntente Sadhna an overnight star.

7. Victoria No. 203 (Brij, 1972): With a horse drawn victoria (No. 203) as a motif, the movie is a crime thriller filled with comic situations liberally thrown in. Victoria No. 203 suddenly becomes the center of attraction of a number of crooks. Imagine that a dying man puts three crores of rupees worth of stolen diamonds somewhere inside the innocent looking victoria, driven by a beautiful girl disguised as a boy, and she also is unaware that she is riding a tresure. Enter two lovable jail birds Raja and Rana. They stumble on to a key and something tells them it is the key to their fortune. It is the chemistry between Ashok Kumar and Pran, one of the best ever seen in Bollywood films, which made the film one of the biggest blockbusters. There you are watching a crime thriller, glued to your seat, heart beating fast not knowing what is going to happen next and suddenly Kumar and Pran enter with key in hand and starting a riot which gets you laughing till it makes you fall off your chair. The song 'Do bachare bina sahare' clearly pinpoints the helplessness of their state. The show belongs to Ashok Kumar and Pran and ofcourse, Victoria No. 203. Cine thriller couldn't get better than this.

8. Jai Santoshi Maa (Vijai Sharma, 1975): This low- budget film with unknown actors unexpectedly emerged as one of the highest-grossing releases of 1975 - sharing the spotlight with the likes of Sholay and Deewar. This bewildered critics and intrigued scholars but made perfect sense to millions of Indian women who loved its folksy story about a comparatively less worshipped 'goddess of satisfaction', easily accessable through a simple ritual, which the film demonstrates. A classic example of the mythological genre and one of the most popular such films ever made that ran to packed houses for months. The film features a well crafted script, with witty dialogues and exremely catchy devotional songs. In an era dominated by violent 'masala' action films aimed primarily at urban male audiences, Jai Santoshi Maa spoke to female audiences, invoking a storytelling style dear to them and conveying a message of vindication and ultimate triumph for the devotees of the goddess Santoshi Maa.

9. Love Story (Rahul Rawail (?), Rajendra Kumar, 1981): Rajendra Kumar launched his son Kumar Gaurav in his first production Love Story. In three hours of its release, the shy unassuming Gaurav became the national heartthrob. The movie was in the language of Bollywood, a super duper hit. Rajendra Kumar by this successful move had also started a new trend of launching star-sons which is being followed to this day. Love Story is a story about love spreading to two generations. Vijay Malhotra (Rajendra Kumar) was in love with Suman (Vidya Sinha). Because of his too egoistic nature he lost his love to Ram (Danny). Suman got married to Ram and Vijay to another girl. Years later, their children, Vijay's son Bunty and Ram's daughter Pinky fall in love. They elope because the love story of their parents stood in the way of their relationship. The police are notified that the two youngsters are missing and then onwards the film is all about how the two elude the police, with abundance of situational comedy. The highlight of the movie is music by R. D. Burman - 'Dekho maine dekha hei ik sapna' and 'Yaad aa rahi hei', becoming big hits. Amit Kumar (Kishore Kumar's son) won Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer for the songs. Another major draw is the excellent script that gives ample scope to the supporting characters - Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Keshto Mukherjee - to display their perfect comedy timings.

10. Maine Pyar Kiya (Sooraj R. Barjatya, 1989): In this feature, debut writer- director Sooraj R. Barjatya not only delivered the goods but also turned out what proved to be one of the most popular and heavily awarded pictures in the history of Hindi cinema. A film of considerable grace, its sicerity is as shining as it is crucial to the film's success. Its fairytale setting has the lovers sending each other valentines (carried by a little darling of a pigeon), overcoming all odds and finally emerging triumphant. The story has been told countless times before, yet the movie caused unprcedented scenes of hysteria all over the nation. Along with its dubbed version in English language 'When Love Calls' and Spanish language 'Te Amo', Maine Pyar Kiya was, perhaps,the first biggest hit of a Hindi film abroad. With this film it was evident a new generation of actors and filmmakers were set to take over. The day the film was released, the movie trade predicted Salman Khan to be an impending superstar. It catapulted Sooraj K. Barjatya to the top league of directors. The film won Filmfare(1990) Awards for Best Film, Best Actor (Salman Khan), Best Music Director (Ram Laxman) and many other catagories.