These 11 films will complete 20 years in 2018

Some of the films, song we still go back to till date will complete 20 years this year. 1998 saw some big blockbusters, including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Soldier. It is also the year that Bollywood got one its most popular directors Karan Johar, who made his directorial debut with an Indianised version of Archie comics and changed the way we perceive big budget cinema.

A lot has changed in the way we view cinema in the past 20 years, and the films that were loved back them may seem silly now. But more importantly, this list will make you travel back in time and make you feel a tad old.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai- 1998 saw a young 25 year old director make a film with country’s favourite pair Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Back then no one could have envisioned that Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’s director Karan Johar will become a brand in himself twenty years down the line. The film also intrioduced us to the marvellous Rani Mukerji- back then simply known as Kajol’s cousin. A typical Archie’s Comic story, KKHH eventually became a cult film on pyaar, dosti and designer love stories. The film released on 16thOctober, 1998.

Ghulam – Who can forget Aamir Khan trying to flirt with Rani Mukerji by crooning the catchy ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ song? Or that nail biting train sequence where Aamir Khan ran towards a speeding train? Vikram Bhatt’s film gave us Aamir in a rugged avatar- which was a first for the actor who had risen to fame mostly playing the romantic hero back then. It also gave us Rani Mukerji, who with her acting and that husky voice won hearts. The film released on 19th June, 1998.

Dil Se- When Mani Ratnam’s film released on 21 August, 1998, it received mixed response. A love story of an AIR journalist and ULFA terrorist, the film was perhaps ahead of its time. But 20 years down the line, it remains one of the sublime love stories of modern times. It’s songs- composed by the amazing AR Rahman- continue to remain popular. The film also gave us two very prominent faces- Preity Zinta and Malaika ARora. Both were known faces in ad world back then but Dil Se marked their entry in Bollywood.

Soldier- Abbas Mustan style masala thriller had Bobby Deol playing an outlaw who is pout to seek revenge for his father’s murder. The film featured Preity Zinta as the female lead and Anu Mallik’s music was chartbuster. The film released in theatres on 12 October, 1998.

Hyderabad Blues- When Nagesh Kukunoor’s made his directorial debut in 1998 with this film, it was one of a kind. Amidst films that were over the top, melodramatic and larger than life, Kukunoor’s Hyderabad Blues was like a breath of fresh air and very real. Mad on shoe string budget, Hyderabad Blues ran nearly for six months in many theatres across Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai. The film released in theatres on 17th July, 1998.

Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai- Deepak Sareen’s story of a man (Salman Khan), woman (Twinkle Khanna) and a child (Aditya Narayan) had similaritries with Eric Segal’s bestseller Man, Woman and Child. But the story was a bit tweaked to suit Salman Khan’s fan base. The film had Khan playing a playboy who comes around when he falls for Khanna’s character. The couple’s blissful life is disrupted when a young boy comes to claim his rightful place at Khan’s house. The film came out in May 1998.

Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya-1998 was the year when the three Khans literally ruled the box office. Khan and Kajol paired up for Sohail Khan’s love story Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya which had Arbaaz Khan playing Kajol’s older brother. The film also gave us a shirtless Salman Khan for the first time as he danced to Oh Oh Jane Jana and showed off his perfect abs. The film came out on 27th March.

Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha- A Hindi remake of the Hollywood film French Kiss, it had real life couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol playing lovers on screen. The couple got married an year later. A romantic comedy, the film had some memorable music by Jatin Lalit. Kajol practically had a dream year with three of her films being superhit. She even won the Best Actress award that year for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha was a July release.

Satya- Back then, Ram Gopal Verma was credited for making hard hitting, realistic films. Written by Anurag Kashyap and Saurabh Shukla, Satya was hard hitting gangster film and depicted how actually the Mumbai underworld operated. While the titular character was played by Telugu star JD Chakravarthy, it was a certain Manoj Bajpayee who shined in his role as Bhiku Mhatre. Powerful performances by all actors made Satya a cult classic. The film released in theatres on 3 July 1998 and lauded by the critics and masses alike.

Zakhm- Mahesh Bhatt’s last directorial venture was a story of his own parents and how they fell in love. The film had Ajay Devgn playing Bhatt’s character and the role fetched him the National Award for Best Actor that year. Pooja Bhatt played Ajay Devgn’s mother in the film and Kunal Khemmu played the younger version of Devgn’s character. The film released on 25th December.

Bade Miyaan Chote Miyan- Govinda and Amitabh Bachchan teamed up for mad cap comedy of mistaken identities and the film was directed by David Dhawan. One of the last few films that had Big B romancing a heroine much younger to him- he completely reinvented himself a few years after this.