The new millennium brought a whole new world of entertainment for the movie audiences. Fresh new faces emerged, older stars graduated to mature and grander roles. Superstar power grew beyond compare. And most importantly our films found a new edge. Entertainers like Lagaan, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Dil Chahta Hai and Dabangg pushed the benchmark of our industry. Our stars became fashion gods and the markets became slicker. Even in 2014, as our film industry continues to grow, we’re setting new trends and conquering the world. There’s never been a better time to be part of Indian cinema. Hundred years behind us, we look forward to centuries of creativity and crores.
Hrithik Roshan’s unprecedented debut
Hrithik Roshan made his film debut in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai in January 2000. His performance in the film earned him Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut. He followed it up with leading roles in Fiza and Mission Kashmir in the same year. Kaho Naa… reportedly earned in excess of 60 crores, which was a phenomenal figure back then. What helped further was Hrithik’s resolute personal stand. Just a week after his debut released, gunmen from the Mumbai underworld shot at his father Rakesh Roshan. A newcomer abandoned all ambition and stayed by his father’s side. A ‘real’ hero was born.
The return of Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan had nearly been washed out due to the failure of his entertainment conglomerate Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL). In the late ’90s, his efforts to work in films like Lal Badshaah, Mrityudaata and Sooryavansham was a bid to repay his debts. But in less than a year, Bachchan turned things around thanks to the unprecedented popularity of Kaun Banega Crorepati and the success of Mohabbatein. It was at the same time that he was honoured with the epithet of the Superstar of the Millennium thanks to a worldwide poll by BBC followed by a special honouring at the Filmfare Awards. The greatest star of all time had regained his spot at the top of the marquee.
Lagaan’s international blitz
Director Ashutosh Gowariker had first offered the film to Shah Rukh Khan who suggested Aamir Khan would be a better choice. Aamir proved to be the pillar of support for Lagaan, ending up producing and acting in it and taking it to the Oscars as well. So when a bunch of ordinary villagers beat the British cricket team, it captured national sentiment. Cricket is a religion in India and combining this religion with a euphoric recollection of history is the real master stroke in Lagaan.
Dil Chahta Hai: New age truths
Farhan Akhtar had been writing his film since 1998. The film’s romantic tracks were inspired by Farhan’s true life experiences in Goa. In consequent years it’s found a cult following. It was Farhan’s first film and he was reportedly unsure about the script. By his own admission, he bumbled through his narration with Aamir and feared the worst. But the perfectionist liked the story. And the rest is history...
Salman Khan’s hit and run case
On September 28, 2002, Salman Khan was arrested for rash driving. Reportedly, his car had run onto a pavement outside a bakery in Mumbai. In the resulting accident, one person sleeping on the pavement lost his life while two others were seriously injured. The incident led to a media blitzkrieg. It didn’t help that Salman was already facing flak for his tumultuous relationship with Aishwarya Rai as well as the impending illegal poaching case in Jaipur. Charges of culpable homicide were laid against him, but later dropped. On July 24, 2013, he was formally charged with culpable homicide in the case, to which he pleaded not guilty. Latest developments in the case have delayed judgment but Salman can occasionally be spotted heading for the courts.
Shahid–Kareena:Love lost
They met on the set of Hulchul in 2003 and instantly kicked it off. They were in love and made no qualms about making it public. Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor were the ‘it’ couple in B-town. Reportedly, Kareena had even turned vegetarian thanks to Shahid’s influence. The only big hiccup their relationship ever faced was an MMS scandal, where allegedly Kareena and Shahid were seen French kissing. Even though it put both actors under the scanner their relationship continued to go strong. Ironically, their best film together turned out to be their last. Jab We Met was the epitome of their chemistry but it was also the last wind of their romance.
Munnabhai mania
More than anything else, we’ll remember the Munnabhai films for giving us a filmmaker like Raj Kumar Hirani. Of course, these films revived the careers of Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi. The franchise reaffirmed our faith in the fact that no-frills and non-glamorous stories could also earn big bucks at the box-office. It also told us that there were filmmakers who could respect not just the viewer’s intelligence but tell common man stories with great cinematic effect. While Munnabhai MBBS was a fresh new comedy, Lage Raho Munnabhai brought back Gandhian ideals.
Vivek Oberoi – Asihwarya Rai – Salman Khan Triangle
The Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai relationship went from being the toast of the town to being a nightmare under the arc lights. After their break-up in March 2002, Rai reportedly accused Salman of physically and emotionally harassing her. This was also the time when Aishwarya and Vivek Oberoi were considered to be seeing each other. Even though they never admitted to a relationship. But things went into dramatic overload when Oberoi held a private press meeting and levelled allegations against Salman Khan for making ‘42’ threatening calls. From there on, this complex love triangle became a media circus that nearly engulfed Oberoi’s career, casted Salman into further trouble and didn’t help Aishwarya’s vocation either.
Rang De Basanti creates history
Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti sparked a wave of nationalism. Watching the sacrifice of young college lads was a historical moment. Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Kunal Kapoor and Atul Kulkarni played the unlikely heroes in one of the best stories told on Indian celluloid. It was a triumph for Mehra whose conviction of close to 10 years in developing the subject paid rich dividends. Also it adopted a dual storyline. Taking its modern protagonists and placing their inspirations in-line with the period story of Indian freedom fighters.
match of the millennium: Aishwarya Rai weds Abhishek Bachchan
This was the big bang of B-town shaadis. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai fell in love in Jaipur on the set of Umrao Jaan. And despite the alleged ‘kundalis not matching’ fracas, the Bachchans and the Rais were keen to see the alliance materialise. The Bachchan home, Jalsa, was the hub of activity. A fibre glass structure, which covered the window on the first floor, was constructed outside the bungalow. The entrance was decorated with multi-coloured flowers and security personnel. Their other home, Prateeksha, was the temporary Rai residence. During the wedding a deranged lady called Jahnvi Kapoor claimed she was dating Abhishek. She disappeared just as quickly as she arrived. But in the process, this became the wedding of the millennium.
Ranbir’s and Deepika’s much ado romance
They reportedly fell in love on the set of Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008. But Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone’s relationship was one rocky ride. At one point she had his initials tattooed on her neck (she still flaunts it). But soon they broke up in the midst of a media storm. Deepika and Sonam Kapoor (who was seeing Ranbir previously) even took potshots at him on Karan Johar’s talk show. But the bad blood from the past didn’t affect their chemistry as seen by all in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Since then Ranbir has moved on to settling in with Katrina Kaif.
Magic of Black
It may have been an inspired version of The Miracle Worker and it may have revisited the story of Helen Keller. But Black was an event in Hindi cinema. Released in 2005, it broke all records and swept every award in the country. The film’s driving force was the performances by Rani Mukerji, young Ayesha Kapoor and of course the unforgettable display of talent by Amitabh Bachchan. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s high on emotions and stylised film was an inspired work of genius.
SRK-Aamir cold war
You could never put a finger on the coldness between Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. The media always implied that the two were at each other’s throats. Not that the two didn’t add fuel to the fire by making outrageous statements about the other. But people close to the two superstars always believed that it was all done in jest. They even stepped out together to pacify warring producers and exhibitors, who had brought the business of cinema to a grinding halt. Their blow hot, blow cold camaraderie continues to fan gossip fire.
Taare Zameen Par breaks new ground
Taare Zameen Par (TZP) was an event movie because it also marked the debut of Aamir Khan as a director. The superstar filmmaker won his first Filmfare Award for direction and the movie garnered unprecedented praise. TZP was an emotional overdrive that left the viewers with numb eyes. When the Oscars gave it a snub, it even raised a media furore in India.
Bollywood’s star-studded foray into cricket
It was in 2008 that the two largest sources of cultural inspiration in India joined hands to create the Indian Premier League. Fans couldn’t get enough of the double dose – their favourite cricket stars rubbing shoulders with their favourtie movie stars. As for the glamorous team owners like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, the IPL was a great exercise in brand building and business diversification. Today in its sixth edition, the IPL continues to grow.
The marketing genius Aamir Khan
It started with Ghajini and grew to epic proportions with 3 Idiots. We’re talking about Aamir Khan’s expertise in promoting his movies. He’s called a marketing genius for a reason. With Ghajini, Aamir used the uniqueness of his look and created a media storm. He ensured ushers at theatres sported the same short haircut as his character in the film. Things reached another level a year later with 3 Idiots. Aamir masqueraded in small towns like Varanasi and rural Punjab under the garb of disguised characters. The allegory that Aamir’s promotional team used in smaller towns was that regional cinema was still king and Hindi cinema just a joker. In Gujarat, a regional star could bring in close to `7 crore. A top grossing Hindi film on the other hand could hope to rake in just `3 crore. But that changed with Aamir’s marketing efforts.
3 Idiots’ record-breaking spree
Until Chennai Express came along, 3 Idiots’ 385 crores box-office collection was the Goliath of the movie industry. In an age where three minute Youtube videos are the only films that enjoy repeated views, crowds flocked to the theatres to watch a three hour film on multiple occasions. Rajkumar Hirani’s college comedy with a heart ran to packed houses for months.
Salman-SRK fallout
It’s considered the biggest piece of news ever in the industry. Once best friends, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan came to near blows and shouting insults at each other in 2008. It was Katrina Kaif’s birthday party. Salman and SRK were already sharing cold vibes and allegedly their constant jibes at each other took a turn for the worse. Insiders believed that the vitriolic exchange was a culmination of six years of suppressed hostility that had first sparked on the set of Chalte Chalte in 2002. As of 2014, the two have apparently moved on and even shown cordiality in public. Coming of age we say!
SRK-Farah Khan fracas
Much before they buried the hatchet and celebrated Happy New Year, Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan seemed like a movie-making match made in heaven. The success of Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om was phenomenal. But their team saw a major hiccup in 2010. The industry was abuzz on how things were not hunky dory between SRK and Farah. It was about how Farah went ahead and signed Akshay Kumar when Shah Rukh Khan was dilly dallying with her Tees Maar Khan script. The much publicised squabble between SRK and Farah’s husband Shirish Kunder two years on didn’t help matters either. But all that is now part of distant history.
Saif-Kareena: Nawabi Nuptials
Like most romances the world over, there was a considerable backstory to the Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor love saga. But the heartbreak (in Kareena’s case) and failed marriage (in Saif’s case) aside, the entertainment world had been waiting for the couple to tie the knot. Eventually, over a period of five days, Saif and Kareena concluded their royal nuptials in October 2012. There was a pre-wedding gala in Mumbai. Then came the D-day where Saif and Kareena signed the marriage papers in the presence of family members at Saif’s Mumbai residence. This was followed by two mega receptions in Mumbai and Delhi. While the Mumbai event was a star-studded affair, the Delhi reception was an exhibition in grandeur.
AR Rahman dazzles the West
For a country obsessed with dreams of winning the Oscar, AR Rahman’s double whammy at the 81st Academy Awards was an unforeseen crescendo. AR Rahman had done the unthinkable. He’d bagged two Oscars from the three nominations for his score in Slumdog Millionaire. Not that he was a stranger to winning awards. He has won more Filmfare trophies than any other name in the entertainment industry. But the Oscar win opened the westward floodgates for Rahman. In one night he went from being India’s best to being a global rockstar. And a most wanted man in Hollywood.
Sanjay Dutt weds Maanayata
Sanjay Dutt, tied the knot with his girlfriend of two years, Maanayata, at the Taj Exotica in Goa in February 2008. It was a private affair and only Dutt’s close relatives and friends were present. In the midst of Dutt’s repeated trials for his involvement in the 1994 Bombay blasts, Maanayata seemed to provide him emotional strength. The last and most notable development in their relationship came in October 2013 when Dutt was convicted and sentenced to a 42-month term in jail. Since then Maanayata and their kids Shahraan and Iqra have been Dutt’s primary support system.
Vidya Balan becomes the hero
Yes, in the past Hema Malini and Madhuri Dixt ruled the film industry with their box-office prowess. But no one managed to shake the male dominated film industry like Vidya Balan. With consecutive hits like Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, Vidya broke the hegemony of male superstars. Not only did she feature as the absolute lead in her films, these films managed to earn big bucks. Even though her consequent films haven’t managed to emulate the blitz of her purple patch, Vidya continues to command respect.
Rajesh Khanna passes away
The original superstar Rajesh Khanna had already shocked the world when he appeared in a popular TV advertisement in a frail condition. He looked like a shadow of his former self, but he seemed to be in high spirits. In June 2012, it was reported that Rajesh Khanna’s health had been deteriorating for some time as he was diagnosed with cancer. Between June and July he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai a couple of times as his condition worsened. He died on July 18, 2012, at his bungalow, Aashirwad, in Mumbai. His funeral procession was befitting of his stature as one of the greatest stars on Indian celluloid.
The 100 crore phenomenon
Aamir Khan’s Ghajini was the first film to earn 100 crores at the box-office. But the 100 crore movie club gained prominence with Salman Khan’s audacious streak of success. It all began in 2010 with the release of Dabangg. That movie shattered box office records followed by successes like Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger and the latest Kick. As of 2014, Salman has had more 100 crore hits than any other actor, a total of 7. Whether you’re a Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar or Hrithik Roshan, your film isn’t a hit until a bevy of trade analysts declare your place in the elite 100 crore club.
Adieu to Dev Anand
No one was prepared for the sad news. One moment Dev Anand was alive and kicking, promoting his latest release Chargesheet and in the other he’d passed on to a better world. The legend, Dev Anand, died in his room at The Washington Mayfair Hotel in London at the age of 88 on December 3, 2011. It was later revealed that the cause of death was a cardiac arrest. Anand was reportedly in London for a medical check-up. On December 10, his funeral service was held at a small chapel in London after which his casket was taken to the Putney Vale Crematorium in South West London for cremation. His ashes were returned to India for immersion in the Godavari River.
Salman Khan’s being human endeavours
Salman Khan started an NGO called Being Human, which started off with selling T-shirts and other products. A portion of the sales of Being Human merchandise are forwarded in supporting the underprivileged. Reportedly, in its early days, Salman Khan funded the foundation with his own money. Since then, Being Human has grown into becoming one of India’s most recognised humanitarian brands. Taking things further, in 2011 Salman launched a production company called SKBH Productions (Salman Khan Being Human Productions). The idea was to channel the money earned from film productions towards the charitable efforts of the Being Human brand. The critically acclaimed film Chillar Party was an initiative of this program.
Loss of a legend
The cosmos made sure Yash Chopra’s final few days were a testament to his legendary status. Just days before his sudden end, Yash Chopra held a grand event to promote his last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan. The entire media flocked to see the timeless camaraderie between hero Shah Rukh Khan and the veteran. On October 13, 2012, he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. He was diagnosed with dengue and reportedly developed kidney ailments as well. He passed away on October 21.
The Satyamev Jayate revolution
It’s said that despite reaching the top, Aamir Khan felt a sense of void within. He was always involved in humanitarian efforts and charity, but none that satiated the urge to do something more. Aamir used his penchant for perfectionism and maturity to come up with something more. His long-time friend and confidant, Satyajit Bhatkal, inspired Aamir to take to national television and stress on social issues plaguing our country. That’s how Satyamev Jayate was born. Tom Hanks, Time magazine and the media in India as well as the world over have congratulated Aamir on job well done.