Salman Khan and Bhagyashree starrer romantic drama Maine Pyar Kiya is one of the most iconic Bollywood films of all time. Directed by Sooraj Barjatya, the film is written by him and S.M. Ahale. It was backed by Tarachand Barjatya under the banner of Rajshri Productions. The film marked the directorial debut of Sooraj as well as the acting debut of Bhagyashree. Apart from these two, the film also stars Alok Nath, Mohnish Bahl, and Rajeev Varma, among others.
Upon release, the film turned out to be a major critical and commercial success. It also catapulted Salman, who had earlier only done a minor in a movie, into stardom. Today, on December 29th, Maine Pyar Kiya turns 34 years old. On this occasion, let us take a look at its cast members and where they are now.
Maine Pyar Kiya: Then and Now
Salman Khan as Prem Chaudhary
Salman Khan plays the role of Prem Chaudhary, who is the young son of Kishan. The story revolves around Prem and his quest for love. Prior to Maine Pyar Kiya, Salman had only done a role in Biwi Ho To Aisi. The success of this film made him an overnight star. Since then, he has seen his share of ups and downs but remains one of the biggest stars in Bollywood to this date.
Bhagyashree as Suman
Bhagyashree made her Bollywood debut with this film. She played the role of Suman, a soft-spoken girl who falls in love with the character of Prem. Post the success of this film, Bhagyshree appeared in several films, albeit less frequently. Over the years, she has played pivotal roles in movies and television shows like Radhe Shyam, Thalaivii, and Laut Aao Trisha, among others. Her son Abhimanyu Dassani is also an actor. In 1990, she got married and decided to focus on her family afterward.
In an interview with Times of India back in 2021, Bhagyashree spoke about it. She said: “When Maine Pyar Kiya happened and Himalaya and I tied the knot, people didn’t know anything about him. In fact, people had painted him as a villain because I got married to him and stopped working. But when people saw our recent show, and they saw us together and heard things about our relationship, they loved us.”
Aloknath as Karan
Aloknath plays the role of Karan, a poor mechanic living in the countryside with his daughter Suman. Karan is an honest and hardworking man who tries his luck in business and getting his daughter married in a well-off family. Maine Pyar Kiya is a part of Aloknath’s body of work, which consists of him playing earnest and honest father figures. Since its release, he has acted in several films and television shows.
Mohnish Bahl as Jeevan
In the film, Mohnish Bahl portrays the character of the antagonist, Jeevan, who is Ranjeet’s nephew. Throughout the story, he is the main obstruction between Prem and Suman. Upon release, Mohnish’s performance in the film was well received, and he went on to do several films with Rajshri Productions. Over the years, he has acted in several successful films like Krrish 3, Jai Ho, Vivah, Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai and Vaastav, among others.
Apart from the above-mentioned actors, the film also featured Rajeev Verma as Kishan Singh Chaudhary, a veteran actor active in the film industry. Some cast members of Maine Pyar Kiya have also sadly passed away since its release. This includes Reema Lagoo (who played Kaushalya Chaudhary), Ajit Vachani (who played Ranjeet), and Laxmikant Berde as Manohar Singh.
Maine Pyar Kiya remains one of the most iconic Bollywood films ever for various reasons. One thing is the intense chemistry between Salman and Bhagyashree, which has been well performed by the two. Another is the solid music of the film, which consists of songs from legends like S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Lata Mangeshkar. Its songs Dil Deewana, Mere Sawaalon Ka, and Kabootar Ja Ja are still a part of our popular culture.
Furthermore, from these, the film introduced Bollywood to Sooraj Barjatya’s style of filmmaking, which was family-oriented stories with a strong love story angle. The success of Maine Pyar Kiya was followed by frequent collaboration between Salman and Sooraj on films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Hum Saath Saath Hain. All of them turned out to be major successes.
Films like Maine Pyar Kiya are testaments to passionate filmmaking and storytelling accompanied by strong performances. Do watch it on this special occasion if you haven’t already.
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