How many movies you have watched to date? Well, probably many, uncountable or you don’t even remember the names of all those movies. But there are very few that stay with you forever. In the Hindi film industry (Bollywood) there are many movies that might come to your list and one of those is the 1994-released cult classic ‘Andaz Apna Apna’.
All those Hindi movie buffs, particularly those of us who love comedy films, the name of the film itself takes us back to the days when we had first watched this, probably in theatre or on television.
Anyone who claims to be the fan of Aamir Khan or Salman Khan must have remembered many of its famous dialogues that instantly trigger you with incessant laughter.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ brought these two Khans together for the very first time (and last time to date). The result is amazing alongside other fantastic actors like Karishma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Paresh Rawal, Shakti Kapoor, among others.
Interestingly, when the film was released in 1994, I was only 10 years old. So, like many of my friends who did not have access to movie theatres, I got to watch this movie much later on television. What I have heard and read about ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ is that it was a box office disaster but over the years it has garnered a huge fan following.
For those of you who have not watched this movie yet, here is what the story is all about. In fact, the movie doesn’t have a great story nor does it have any exceptional narration. Nevertheless, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ has all situational humor with antic acting by some of the well-known actors of the Hindi films.
The film begins with two street smart guys: Amar (Aamir Khan) and Prem (Salman Khan) who are daydreamers and experts in conning people. They sold their fathers’ shops to land in Ooty in order to marry a rich heiress Raveena Bajaj (Raveena Tandon), daughter of Ram Gopal Bajaj (Paresh Rawal). Raveena has come to Ooty with her friend-cum-secretary Karishma (Karisma Kapoor) to search for a suitable groom.
As both Amar and Prem come to know about their common goal, the duo fights with each other to outwit each other. While they both failed to woo the lady after repeated attempts, they finally decided to enter Bajaj’s home, and with numerous hilarious episodes, they finally came close to Raveena. But little they know that Ram Gopal Bajaj has a look-alike twin, Shyam, aka Teja, who also has eyes on his brother’s fortune.
In addition, there is one more man called Crime Master Gogo (Shakti Kapoor) who is searching Teja, as the later has taken a lot of money from Gogo. Ram arrives in India, and Teja plans to kidnap Ram to take his place to steal Ram’s money converted into diamonds. On the other hand, both Amar and Prem have also planned to kidnap the girl’s father. What follows is a laughter riot with crazy characterization and hilarious dialogues.
I doubt comedies like this will ever be made again. And even though the director is planning to make a sequel of ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ with the same actors, the actors with their popularity and packed calendar are unlikely to commit to any such film until and unless they have an equally good script. Moreover, among the newcomers or established actors, I don’t think there are many better actors who can match the comic timings of Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, except actors like Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, and Shahid Kapoor.
‘Andaz Apna Apna’ — Bollywood superstars Aamir Khan and Salman Khan star in this film that is a perfect blend of comedy, romance, and action.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Mehmood, Deven Verma, Jagdeep, and Shakti Kapoor.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi
Music by Tushar Bhatia
Cinematography: Ishwar Bidri
Release Date/Year: April 11, 1994
Where to watch Bollywood cult classic ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ online?
Considering the film is a cult classic, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ can easily be found on several streaming platforms, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Of course, this depends on your geolocation.
Where to watch Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
