25 years ago two actors made their debut on the big screen with a bang! Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna stepped into Bollywood as the lead pair in the romantic action film Barsaat, produced by Dharmendra and Sunny Deol’s home banner Vijayata Films. Both the actors went on to then bag Filmfare Best Debut Awards the following year.
As the film celebrates it’s 25th anniversary it also marks Bobby’s 25 tremendous years in the industry. Soon after the actor’s first film released he became the talk of the town. Moving further in his career Bobby delivered some remarkable roles and proved himself both as an actor and a star. After a fleeting sabbatical, Bobby Deol made an even stronger comeback with his blockbuster performances in films like Race 3, Poster Boys and Housefull 4. He has once again taken the audience by surprise with his very efficient roles in recently released Class of 83 and Aashram.
While Bobby celebrates his silver jubilee of being in the industry and holding up with the changing times and technology, so does Twinkle Khanna who also celebrates her own 25 years of being in this industry. She shares an overwhelming message, “As a person I was the same but as an actress I remember being very nervous. I was always a ‘tomboy’ Or at least that is what it used to be called. My audition for Barsaat was probably the first time I had put on some lipstick. Bobby and I would bicker every day. Sometimes he would stamp my foot, sometimes I would kick him while we were dancing. We were two kids, brats really!
The day the movie released though, I remember we held hands all the way on the drive to the premiere. Both of us shaking and frightened and we have been friends ever since. Paradoxically, it feels like a lifetime ago and just yesterday. Sometimes Bobby and I send each other old pictures when we chance upon them. I always look at them and I’m amazed by how time has gone by. We now have children who are as old as we were when we were working in Barsaat.”
Sunny Deol – who was the producer of the film – didn’t leave any chance to give his 100 per cent for this film as well and says, “Bobby wanted to become an actor and he had been preparing for it. We were hunting around for directors and the subject While he was preparing for his first film. We initially had Shekhar Kapur with us as the director but Rajkumar Santoshi eventually made the film and saw to its release. The title of the film also has its own share of the journey from Badal it finally got locked to Barsaat. The film holds a special place in my heart in many ways.”
As an elder brother he adds, “Bobby is completing 25 years in the industry and I can’t be more proud, he has done quite a lot of great films earlier. I can see the hunger in him now, he deserves so much more.”
Director of the film Rajkumar Santoshi recollects his beautiful experience of directing Barsaat and shares, “I knew about the film and had always wanted to work on the project. I wanted to be a part of Bobby’s launch, but Shekhar was directing it so I never mentioned anything. But when Shekhar had some other commitment that prevented him from directing the film, and I was offered the project, I jumped at the opportunity, it was an immediate yes. Then we started working on the script again, the film went through many changes. Sunny was a great producer to work with as he went with all my ideas and gave me everything I needed for the film, he never said a ‘no’. All I can say is that I am happy that I was part of the project and that I could work with the Deols. And the way the fans enjoyed it, made it even more special.”
Reminicising all the love that the actor has received over the years and still continues to get, Bobby shares, “It has been an amazing journey ever since my debut. When the film had released, everyone had loved it and the performances. I remember being extremely nervous before the release but my father and my brother were there with me all the time. I wouldn’t have been able to reach this place in my life without them. But Barsaat definitely set the ball rolling for me and Twinkle. Completing 25 years in the films today seems surreal. I have learned a lot from my successes and my failures in these years and am looking forward to the next 25 years.”