Mohabbatein V/S Mission Kashmir: 25 years of the great Bollywood clash

Mohabbatein V/S Mission Kashmir: 25 years of the great Bollywood clash

26 October marked the day of Diwali in the year 2000 and witnessed a major clash at the box office between two biggies - the most anticipated movies of that year – ‘Mohabbatein’ and ‘Mission Kashmir’.

Both the films were from Bollywood's most celebrated production houses - YRF and VVC Films (incidentally, both Chopras!) and their plots actually centered on clash of the titans. While Mission Kashmir was about two men (played by Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan) battling each other when the paradise burnt, ‘Mohabbatein’ reveled in its novelty of getting Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan together where the stalwarts and their formidable ideologies were at loggerheads , while the three budding romances at Gurukul walked the tightrope of Parampara, Pratishtha and Anushasan.

 These films were essentially multi-starrers but they boiled down to one upmanship – Shah Rukh Khan vs. Hrithik Roshan. Despite the fact that SRK worked in three consecutive Film Kraft films (King Uncle, Karan Arjun and Koyla) and had an affable equation with Duggu, the box office clash drifted them apart. Apparently, the rivalry had kicked off early that year when the hysterical success of ‘Kaho Naa Pyar Hai’ enshrouded the prospects of SRK's first home production, ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’, made under Dreamz Unlimited - a film ahead of its time. On screen, both Raj Aryan and Altaf were manifestations of personal tragedy and past trauma. While one used it for reform (from Gurukul to Guru-cool) the other glossed the sword of revenge with it.

The dark and serious tonality of ‘Mission Kashmir’ around the military insurgency was written off by the audience. The topic and treatment were ahead of its time. But I believe, it still continues to be the favorite topic of the famed filmmaker for his Kashmiri roots. But it became a cynosure of the critics' eyes.

On the other side, ‘Mohabbatein’'s flabby narrative involving the candy floss romances outweighed its hallmark clash between Raj Aryan - the Indianized John Keating (played by Robert Williams in Dead Poet’s Society, 1989) and the stern principal of Gurukul, Mr.Narayan Shankar – played by Amitabh Bachchan (his comeback after back tyo back disasters like ‘Kohram’, ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’, ‘Sooryavansham’ ‘Lal 'Baadshah'

It must be remembered that Amitabh Bachchan made his debut on television with ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ in the same year – July 2000.

I was in my final year of Engineering, pursuing my six-month industrial training in New Delhi and fondly recollect the massive craze surrounding ‘Mohabbatein’. They must have invested a fortune in their advertising. Digital promotions were a new thing then. The turtle-neck pullovers and V-neck Tees of Raj Aryan had driven me to frantically search every nook and corner of Paalika Bazaar, Sarojini Nagar and Nehru Market. Years later, it spawned a series of parodies which filmmakers spoofed in their films. One such memorable piece was Rajpal Yadav mimicking Aryan in ‘Koi Mere Dil se Pooche’ (2003), where the late Jaspal Bhatti emulated Narayan Shankar. Trivia has it that Vidhu Vinod Chopra had initially conceived ‘Mission Kashmir’ with Amitabh and Shah Rukh. Just imagine what might have happened if this casting was retained!

Mission Kashmir joyously celebrated Rahat Indori's lyrics soaked with intricate and profound meanings. The Bhumro (Bumbro, featuring Hrithik and Preity Zinta) song is still remembered for its quintessential verve.

25 years have gone by and I still feel the euphoria brought by these two films, hovering over Diwali.