The Diwali Scoreboard of the Superstars

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Since the mid-1990s, Diwali has emerged as a premium date for big-ticket releases. The change has been initially slow but sure and has picked up after the big-names proved their staying power. For example, even in the early 1990s, Shah Rukh Khan had a Diwali blockbuster in Baazigar (1993), one of the two films that year that catapulted him into the A-list, and Ajay Devgn too had hits in Jigar (1992) and Suhaag (1994). And even then, the other senior big stars of the time—Govinda, Anil Kapoor and others were not really associated with Diwali the way Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar came to be.

And even today, we cannot say that Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh or anyone else are Diwali “specialists”, as none has more than two releases so far in the Festival of Colors.

Some top heroines also come in by default, but they were co-actors of the superstars, like Katrina Kaif in Blue, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Sooryavanshi and Tiger 3 and Priyanka Chopra (Jonas) in Aitraaz, Don, Fashion and Krrish 3.

The special case of Kareena Kapoor Khan

However, there is one actress whose presence suggests her being in demand whenever a big film is being made—Kareena Kapoor Khan. She may not be a crowd-puller on her one, but her impressive score began with the modest Jeena Sirf Mere Liye (this was when she was just a couple of years old in films!), but after that we had Aitraaz, Kyon Ki…, Golmaal Returns, Main Aur Mrs. Khanna, Golmaal 3 and RA. One.

However, she had been missing since 2011 until this year’s Singham Again. And eight films cannot be a mere coincidence even as she is in the 25^th year of her career.

Here then, is a look at how the stars fared at Diwali time in the last 30 years.

Shah Rukh Khan

The actor emerged as the Baadshah of the festive season with releases in 11 years, of which three—Om Shanti Om, RA. One, Happy New Year and Dilwale were his home productions.

He began on a massive high with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge / 1995, which is still running in a matinee show at Maratha Mandir, Mumbai, past the 1500^th week! Dil To Pagal Hai / 1997, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai / 1998 and Mohabbatein /2000 consolidated his Diwali affinity. After Veer-Zaara  / 2004, which as per producer Yash Chopra was average in India and a blockbuster overseas (most SRK films tend to be that!) and another average fare in Don / 2006 (again a hit overseas), Shah Rukh went on to plan his home productions for the festive season. Om Shanti Om / 2007 did mega-hit business, RA. One / 2011 and Dilwale / 2015 failed to recover their mammoth investment despite good business, while Happy New Year / 2014 fared modestly. Another such average offering was Yash Chopra’s last film as director, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, in 2012, which did great business overseas. For good measure, SRK also did a cameo in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016).

Akshay Kumar

Akshay featured in 11 Diwali releases, including this year, but two of them (Om Shanti Om as himself and Singham Again as Sooryavanshi) were in cameos. That gives him a seasonal scoreboard of 9 lead films, ranking next to Shah Rukh Khan. Of course, the first of these, Sapoot /1996. co-starring Suniel Shetty, was a disaster, while Dil To Pagal Hai / 1997 had Akshay only in an extended Special Appearance.

The strong pluses thus, were the pre-pandemic ensemble cast Housefull 4 / 2019, and the actioner Sooryavanshi that ended the pandemic in 2021 as a decisive hit.

but if Aitraaz did well in 2004 and Garam Masala fared even better in 2005, Blue / 2009, Action Replayy / 2010 and Ram Setu / 2023 proved that Akshay wasn’t always safe in the festive season.

Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn featured on screen during seven Diwalis and now adds Singham Again this year.

His opening Diwali film is the Mahesh Manjrekar melodrama, Tera Mera Saath Rahein / 2002. But Ajay has come into his own with Rohit Shetty, the man who among directors, tops the festival! Golmaal Returns / 2008, All The Best / 2009 (which Ajay also produced) and Golmaal 3 /2010 all formed a superb hat-trick of Rohit Shetty laugh-riots. Golmaal Again / 2017 topped his Diwali grossers and Singham Again is his fifth festival outing with close friend-cum-filmmaker Rohit Shetty. Of course, in Shetty’s 2021 Sooryavanshi, he had played a cameo as Bajirao Singham too.

The sore spots were Shivaay / 2016 that Ajay produced and directed and Thank God. A 100 crore-plus grosser, Shivaay was an expensive film that did below- average business, while Thank God (2022) was a disaster.

Salman Khan

The maverick superstar featured 7 times in Diwali again, but four more films—Saawariya and Om Shanti Om (both in 2007), Tell Me O Kkhuda  (2010) and Son of Sardaar (2012) all saw him making cameos. But for all his Eid magic from 2009 to 2018, Diwali has almost never been kind to the man!

His story begins with Andaz Apna Apna / 1994, in which he was the scene-stealer over Aamir Khan, according to the majority of viewers. The film was a flop but has since become a cult comedy. And there is no mega-hit among the rest, though Hum Saath Saath Hain was a hit in 1999, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in 2015, while Tiger 3 did decent business last year. The earlier two films in the Tiger franchise had been terrific earners and the biggest hits of 2012 and 2017 respectively, both being Eid releases!

Otherwise, for Salman, Diwali was about duds—Kyon Ki… (2005), Jaan-E-Mann (2006) and one of the biggest disasters of his career, his home production, Main Aur Mrs. Khanna (2009)!

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan had only four films in this list, but the fact remains that as actor, he has a paltry 26 leading roles in the last three decades. Of these, Raja Hindustani, way back in 1996, was a tepid rehash of the 1965 epic Jab Jab Phool Khile, slalomed to emerge as the biggest hit of that year, while Thugs of Hindostan (2018), despite its phenomenal opening, was among the biggest catastrophes ever in that entire decade and YRF’s biggest debacle. Andaz Apna Apna has been described above, while Secret Superstar / 2017 was a poor second to Golmaal Again in Diwali that year and managed to do well only in China!

 
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