Bolly-Holly@20

BOLLY BIGGIES

AANKHEN: Two Govindas and two Kader Khans — with Chunkey Pandey thrown into the mad mix — brought the house down in this David Dhawan comedy that was the biggest Bolly hit that year (budget: Rs 1.96 crore; earnings: Rs 12.46 crore). Aankhen gave Govinda’s almost-dead career a fresh lease of life, even as Bappi Lahiri’s music — Lal dupatte waali to Angna mein baba — ruled the charts.

KHALNAYAK: Sanjay Dutt slipped into the skin of a khalnayak in this Subhash Ghai film that scored for the controversial Choli ke peechey and benefited at the box office from whispers of a Dutt-Madhuri Dixit romance. Made on a budget of Rs 2.5 crore, it raked in Rs 9.5 crore, becoming the second biggest hit of 1993. Also starring Jackie Shroff.

HUM HAIN RAHI PYAR KE: Mahesh Bhatt’s fun family film starring Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla and a bunch of kids found favour with the viewer, young and old. The rip-roaring climax still brings on the laughs while Nadeem Shravan’s music endured for years. The film made good its Rs 2 crore budget to earn approximately Rs 8 crore at the box office.

DARR: Shah Rukh Khan played the obsessed lover to perfection in this Yash Chopra film starring Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. SRK entered the big league with his intense “K-K-K-Kiran” act while Shiv-Hari made magic with their tunes. The blood-ridden climax on the boat still brings on goosebumps. Darr was the fourth biggest hit of 1993, grossing Rs 7.5 crore.

BAAZIGAR: ‘Abhi bhi haarkar jeetne wale ko Baazigar kehte hain,’ read the tweet from Shah Rukh Khan on Baazigar turning 20. SRK the anti-hero was born with this Abbas-Mustan thriller. Shah Rukh became a star with his negative turn as Ajay/ Vicky, the man who didn’t even stop at cold-blooded murder to avenge the death of his father. Kajol made a mark even as Shilpa Shetty made her film debut. Johnny Lever’s Babulal is still LOL funny. What we loved? Anu Malik’s tunes — Baazigar Baazigar to Kaali kaali aankhen, Kitabein bahut si to Ae mere humsafar. Baazigar took home Rs 7.45 crore, becoming the fifth biggest hit of the year.

TIRANGAA: Jingoistic in tone and amateurish in treatment, Mehul Kumar’s pseudo-patriotic film starring the dialogue baazi of Raaj Kumar-Nana Patekar was an assault on the senses, but it clicked. Made on a budget of around Rs 1 crore, Tirangaa romped home with Rs 6 crore.

HOLLY HITS

JURASSIC PARK: Steven Spielberg’s first film in the iconic franchise based on Michael Crichton’s book grossed a $900 million-plus, many many times its $63 million budget! Lauded for its special effects and strong storytelling, Jurassic Park became the monster hit of 1993. It won three Oscars and spawned two sequels, becoming one of the biggest film franchises ever. The 3D version of the film, released this year, has taken its total earnings beyond the $1 billion mark.

MRS. DOUBTFIRE: A man cross-dresses as an elderly housekeeper to spend time with his children and divorced wife. Robin Williams was a riot as the redoubtable Mrs. Doubtfire — who can forget him prancing around the kitchen with his “breasts” on fire?! The Chris Columbus comedy, also starring Sally Field and a dishy Pierce Brosnan, was made on a budget of $25 million and earned in excess of $440 million!

THE FUGITIVE: Harrison Ford starred as an innocent man on the run after being accused of murdering his wife. Also starring Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive scored with its gripping plot and strong performances, fetching $368 million at the box office.

Pssst! It was remade in Bolly (1995) as the criminally bad Criminal starring Nagarjuna and Manisha Koirala.

SCHINDLER’S LIST: Spielberg found himself in the top 6 yet again with this compelling film set in World War II Poland, chronicling the life of Oskar Schindler and how he saved the lives of thousands of Jew refugees during the Holocaust. Made on a budget of $22 million, Schindler’s List took home $321.2 million. And yes, it also won seven Oscars.

THE FIRM: Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman turned in superlative acts in this legal thriller directed by Sydney Pollack and based on John Grisham’s bestseller of the same name. The story of a young lawyer (Cruise’s Mitch McDeere) who encounters his profession’s dark side, The Firm made good its $42 million budget by raking in $270 million.

INDECENT PROPOSAL: $1 million — no, that wasn’t the budget for this Adrian Lyne thriller, but the amount that Demi Moore’s Diana Murphy stood to pocket if she slept with Robert Redford’s billionaire John Gage. Indecent Proposal — made for just $38 million — scored big at the BO, earning $266 million. Woody Harrelson was Demi’s loser hubby.