When Maine Pyar Kiya released at the end of 1989, it really was a youth-quake. The cast and crew were so young - and not pretending to be young. They got allllll the ingredients right.
Wikipedia has demystyfied the age of actors and the cast and crew. This is a reminder that a young team getting together can and do create magic.
The film wasn't just a movie - it was a movement. It captured a young zeitgeist. The Barjatya brilliance shone through.
Maine Pyar Kiya was filmed primarily between 1988 and 1989 before its release on December 29, 1989.
Salman Khan (Prem Choudhary): Born December 27, 1965.
Age during shooting: 22 to 23 years old (he turned 24 two days before the film released).
Bhagyashree (Suman): Born February 23, 1969.
Age during shooting: 19 to 20 years old.
Mohnish Bahl (Jeevan): Born August 14, 1961.
Age during shooting: 26 to 27 years old.
Pervaiz Sahani / Pervien Dastur (Seema): Born 1968.
Age during shooting: 20 to 21 years old.
Alok Nath (Karan, Suman's father): Born July 10, 1956.
Age during shooting: 31 to 32 years old.
Reema Lagoo (Kaushalya Choudhary, Prem's mother): Born June 21, 1958.
Age during shooting: 29 to 30 years old (playing Salman's mother while being only 7 years older than him).
Rajeev Verma (Kishan Kumar Choudhary, Prem's father): Born June 28, 1949.
Age during shooting: 38 to 39 years old.
Laxmikant Berde (Manohar): Born October 26, 1954.
Age during shooting: 33 to 34 years old.
Director Sooraj Barjatya (born February 22, 1965) was also only 23 to 24 years old while directing the film.
I read this about them in MOVIE magazine; "He gave her class, she gave him sex appeal; the magic of Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan on the big-screen.
Aur Pyar Ho Gaya is remembered today mainly as Aishwarya Rai's Bollywood entry point rather than for its box office success or critical acclaim. The music by the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and lyrics by Javed Akthar are impeccable. So many songs stand the test of time - and all so gloriously picturised on the telegenic pair. For her first film, Aishwarya's not bad but people expected her to be Madhuri from day one. Which was unfair to the (albeit confident) newcomer. As a rom com its.. fine. Its fine.
As a time capsule for contemporary fashion in the 90s, its textbook. Skip through most of the film, and just watch Ash. Totally worth it.
When you see her filmography in the early 1980s, she appeared in nearly a dozen movies each year. Sadly the quality of the films themselves was all over the place. Either she was exquisite or erratic.
As a beauty, actor and dancer, Rekha is peerless - topped with a flawless voice and husky dialogue delivery where her Hindi and Urdu is perfection.
In her vast filmography, many like to state that Umrao Jaan is her career-defining performance. A valid thesis can be made of that.
I propose the flawless, Khoobsurat. Legend has it Hrisihikesh Mukherjee made the film just for Re - and is closest character to the actress herself.
I've seen the film... 148 times. It is glorious. Every single actor in the movie is so natural and wonderful. Particularly Ashok Kumar and his magical jugulabandi with Dina Pathak.
13 August 1963. An Indian legend was born - the great Sridevi.
Birth anniversary of the legendary Indian actress and famed south Indian beautyu, Sridevi.
Daily updates in teh largest Sridevi site at Sridevi
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Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke
Gorgeous songs, gorgeous couple, the film was...just ok.
Without naming names, Aishwarya Rai stated that early on, the modeling industry, wasn't always a welcoming or kind field - especially in competative Mumbai in the 1990s. They mistook her friendliness as fallacy, her ambition to make it, met with she fakes it. Well, where are her competing models today - and look where Ash is. BTW Ash when she strut in, in this Neeta Lulla design for example, I mean... the competition just petered away....
In Mani Ratnam’s political epic Iruvar (1997), a 23-year-old Aishwarya Rai delivered what remains one of the most astonishing debuts in Indian cinema history. Stepping into a complex dual role, fresh off her Miss World win - the ethereal, innocent village bride Pushpavalli and the ambitious, modern actress Kalpana - she announced herself not just as a breathtaking face, but as a performer of rare poise, dignity, and instinct.
To hold her own opposite titans like Mohanlal and Prakash Raj in a first feature would intimidate most, yet Rai’s screen presence was remarkably composed. She grounded Pushpavalli with quiet, tender vulnerability and infused Kalpana with sharp, mesmerizing confidence. Her eyes conveyed a profound emotional maturity well beyond her years, ensuring the dual roles felt distinct, deliberate, and deeply human rather than a mere gimmick.
As a classically trained Bharatanatyam dancer, her movement on screen was sheer poetry. In iconic compositions like “Vennila Vennila" elegantly choreographed by legends including Saroj Khan, Sundaram, and Brinda - Rai moved with fluid precision, effortless rhythm, and magnetic grace. Paired with A.R. Rahman’s hauntingly perfect score, every song sequence became a timeless visual movement.
Iruvar showcases Mani Ratnam at the absolute height of his directorial powers - a masterclass in visual composition, larger-than-life character arcs, and atmospheric storytelling. Though audiences and the box office underappreciated the film upon its initial release, time has rightfully restored its legacy.
Today, Iruvar stands universally acclaimed as one of Ratnam’s finest masterpieces. At its core lies Aishwarya Rai’s luminous debut - although the director clearly stated to her well in advance, that he wasn't presenting a film to showcase teh debut of a star, but telling a story for which she was a huge part of. A performance that remains an enduring benchmark for elegance, artistic discipline, and sheer cinematic brilliance, no wonder Ratnam has offered her as many films as he has. Funny how her luminous beauty is so naturally projected unlike other directors who go limp presenting her eyes, features, dances, costumes... and failiing to showcase the performer that Ash truly is.
Dazzling. Pity its a fake. Ya know the real Aishwarya Rai in early 2000s had sharper features and yet an innate softness about her.
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| Rekha, on the cover of MOVIE magazine back in April 1982 |
As MOVIE magazine ceased publication decades ago, Rekha will forever be the magazine's most enduring cover girl. A life lived in the tabloids - whether she liked it or not - she did some of her best tell-all interviews with the magazine.
Kajol with the deft makeup mastery of Mickey Contractor, photographed by mentor, first-director andp hotographer, the late, great Gautam Rajadhyaksha.
