Mar Bhi Jayein Pyar Walein..
Mitt Bhi Jayein Yaar Walein..
Zinda Rehti Hai Unki Mohabbatein..
In year 2000, filmmaker and scion of then India's biggest film production house, Aditya Chopra, brought out his second directorial Mohabbatein on October 27 2000, a Diwali release. Chopra's directorial debut, 19955's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayeinge, was still screening in cinemas even after 5 years and had become a cult, rivalling Ramesh Sippy's Sholay. It was also back then that Diwali was the only prestigious calendar date reserved only by the biggest of release and the DDLJ factor combined with Yash Raj release was nothing short of magnetic pull for audience into cinema halls. But Mohabbatein was different, and iconic, in more ways than the traditional touch.
Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein was the launch pad of 6 young actors, one being Yash Chopra's youngest son, unlike any other big movie. Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai were working for the second time together, but unlike their June 2000 release Josh where they played Twins, the two were paired as lovers. But most importantly, Mohabbatein was a re-launch pad, unlike ever seen in world cinema, for screen legend Amitabh Bachchan, who was finally accepting his age with a screen role that justified his talent and his invincibility as an actor and not just be relegated to character actor status.
Amitabh Bachchan, then 58, had his last iconic release a full decade ago, in 1990. The path breaking Agneepath felt too big shoes to follow up and despite a few moderate hits, Bachchan's 90s decade was just like Hindi Cinema's 80's decade - a bit trashy, a lot overdone and overexposed, and complete with a story of even personal financial setbacks - his ill-fated company ABCL. It is said that Bachchan, reeling with the possibility of selling his house Prateeksha to pay off his loans, had walked to Yash Chopra's office to ask him for a film to save his career and his life. Chopra Sr, had by that time found his production house's golden boy in Shah Rukh Khan, after having worked with him in iconic blockbusters Darr, DDLJ and Dil To Pagal Hai, but reportedly acknowledged Bachchan and had his son work on a film which released as Mohabbatein.
Why Mohabbatein, 20 years since it's release, holds an important and almost ominous concern today is because while Amitabh Bachchan, at 58, understood the need for him to accept his age and have his filmmaker friends and new generation filmmakers that grew up on his cinema slowly but steadily keep designing film a myriad of roles for him that has still not showed any signs of relegating him to a character actor status, his then co-star and then-biggest draw for theatre audience, Shah Rukh Khan, at 55 years of age today (SRK turns 55 on November 1 2020), need to take urgent lessons from Bachchan's career trajectory.
Amitabh Bachchan gained popularity as the Angry-Young Man in 1970s because the India back then needed a cinematic voice to reflect their own anger on various elements in society. Shah Rukh Khan, on the contrary, became the eternal romantic hero in 1990s and followed this in most of the 2000's first decade, with his film choices. Both actors became cult figures in Indian cinema, to the extent that while their audience grew in generation, they got stuck with their screen image. However, unlike Amitabh Bachchan, SRK has been a great businessman and with stakes in film production (now extending to OTT films and series), a graphics studio that literally works on almost every big release in Hindi, multiple sport franchises and partnerships in various media outlets.
SRK may not have to walk to producers to ask for film roles but fact remains that the icon is suffering non-acceptance of his film choices while his contemporaries Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devg , along with a sea of much younger actors, have caused a huge dent on the image of SRK, the actor. While an SRK film may continue to earn more than ₹100 crores at the box office, it is a failure because expectations will always be mamoth, even with small films like Fan and Raees. The failure of SRK as a star has also got a lot to do with the fact that SRK bankrolls all his acting projects, even as co-producer, and gives a full free hand to his director with the budget, case in point - a wonderful idea like 2018's Zero destroyed with over indulgence.
It is fair enough to pronounce that even the best of filmmakers don't know how to handle the stardom of SRK and today's young team of assistants that roam around stars like SRK are not sharing on truth on the script's and film's potential because they are all YES SIR people only indulging in fanning the egos of stars. Also, SRK needs to not just pick subjects that will suit him as an actor and star but also chose his co-stars who can match his appeal and create excitement. His iconic pairing with Kajol in the poorly scripted Dilwale was a total waste to cash on sentiments, while just a 5 minute scene with his one time co-star Aishwarya Rai (now Bachchan) in Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil rivalled Aishwarya's pairing with Ranbir Kapoor.
Shah Rukh Khan has not had a single film release for almost two years now, since the mamoth debacle of Zero, and there is no official announcement of his next release. The latest buzz around film circles is that he will star and co-produce Siddharth Anand's next action thriller Pathan and will have Deepika Padukone and John Abraham as his co-stars. If SRK is just looking for a War like mega-blockbuster, Pathan might actually be his best bet but the film doesn't seem like it will be released anytime before 2022. SRK will be 57 years old by then, with almost 4 years of no movie release while his male acting colleagues of all age not just working for cinema audience but the even wider accessible OTT platform.
Mohabbatein had a 58 year old Amitabh Bachchan reinventing himself into Angry Old Man but with Aishwarya Rai as his screen daughter and emotions of a parent that connected with every young child and parent in the audience. Will Pathan or any other movie be that re-invetion for SRK's iconic lover image or just another way to earn big money to cross the ₹300 or even ₹400 crore mark at domestic box-office? Or will he just pass on the baton this kids Aryan and Suhana, both looking at films for career.
As the lyrics from Mohabbatein goes,
"Duniya Mein Kitni Hai Nafratein
Phir Bhi Dilon Mein Hai Chahatein.."
Love is more strong and forever than Anger. Shah Rukh Khan, the maverick businessman, needs to set his acting priorities straight and unlike Amitabh Bachchan, while he has a better financial and social standing in the industry, the competition from his colleagues is way loud and the current audience is far less forgiving. Will Shah Rukh be the true torch bearer of the iconic status of Amitabh Bachchan?
