Diwali 1995 witnessed the movie that went on to set humongous records at the box office (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) starring every movie goers favourite couple Shahrukh - Kajol in combo with a perfectly blended punjabi family, lush locales of Zurich,superhit music and the essence of mera desh meri mitti.What also worked in bonus for the film was its release perfectly in time with the previous year's blockbuster attraction Hum Apke Hain Koun, which set a new standard and platform for family oriented wedding dramas
If 1996 had been the year for Karisma Kapoor to show her histrionics along with a surprise image change over in Raja Hindustani,teaming up with the perfectionist Aamir Khan for the first time (richie rich lolo falling for our hindustani cab driver Aamir), the year 1997 brought to the silver screen a new craze for youth oriented candyfloss romance in the form of Dil To Pagal Hai combined with chart topping music from the melody queen Lata Mangeshkar and the 3 reigning superstars of that time Madhuri Dixit, Shahrukh Khan and Karisma Kapoor. The film also gave a new dimension to art direction and costume design. Bollywood witnessed a more urbane, picturesque, stylized interiors after a long time ( thanks to Sharmistha Roy) and a more soft,layered,vibrant,candyfloss look of its leading stars ( courtesy Manish Malhotra and Mickey Contractor) not to mention brilliant still shots from the ace photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha.
The year 1998 saw the emergence of a new breed film maker in the form of Karan Johar redefining the theory of bubble gum college romance in the form of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai starring the ever graceful, ever charming Srk - Kajol teaming up with a fresh,delightful Rani Mukherji, feel good factor along with tear jerker,what more could we ask for!! I remember that diwali it had rained heavily almost in all parts of India but that didnt dampen the spirits of our cine goers, even me rushing for an early morning show under an umbrella,fighting my way out amidst a huge crowd outside the theater,searching for a local to get last moment tickets in 'black' !
When family oriented movies were in vogue, how can our master craftsman Sooraj Barjatya be left behind!, he came up with his multi starrer Hum Saath Saath Hain during diwali 1999 ( i remember,the then media labelled the film as the neutron bomb of that diwali!).. The film apart from its lead players, had an ensemble cast comprising of bhaiyya, bhabhis, mama, mamis..add to that a modern day version of the Ramayana and Voila! u ve got ur entire family lined up outside the theaters with kids and elderly couples in tow!
2000 also witnessed the clashing of the giants Shahrukh Khan,Amitabh Bacchan starrer Mohabbataein and Hrithik Roshan's Mission Kashmir diverting its audience towards their favourite stars nevertheless making producers and distributors of both the films immensely satisfied..but now i wonder, what made me like this 3 hrs 45 mins of a boring saga ( Mohabbataien) that i went 4 times to watch this nonsense at the theater!!
The next few years also witnessed some major flicks doing well at the box office during diwali ( Veer Zara 2004, Don 2006, Om Shanti Om 2007, Fashion 2008) but somehow for me none of this later year films could recreate the same magic for me the way some of those that had created and which i had left way back in the 90's....maybe a craze dies down after a certain period of time, a craze u remain besotted with untill a period of time, untill a period of ur life span!!
