Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar

(#8)

First Day First Show | Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar  (1992)

Credits:

Story and Screenplay: Mansoor Khan

Dialogues: Nasir Hussain

Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

Music: Jatin-Lalit

Producer: Nasir Hussain

Director: Mansoor Khan

Released on: 22^nd May 1992

Length: 176 minutes

Cast: Aamir Khan (Sanjaylal Sharma), Ayesha Jhulka (Anjali), Dipak Tijori (Shekhar Gupta), Pooja Bedi (Devika), Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Ramlal Sharma), Mamik (Ratanlal Sharma), Kiran Zaveri (Kalpana), Deb Mukherjee (Rajput College’s Coach), Deven Bhonaji (Ghanshu), Aditya Lakhia (Maqsood), Imran Khan (Young Sanjaylal), Asrani (Mr. Dube) and Anjan Srivastava (Commentator)

Songs:

“Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar” (Udit Narayan, Sadhna Sargam, Jatin and Lalit)

“Sheher Ki Pariyon Ke Peechhe” (Udit Narayan and Sadhna Sargam)

“Pehela Nasha..Pehla Khumaar” (Udit Narayan and Sadhna Sargam)

“Jawan Ho Yaaron Yeh Tumko Hooa Kya” (Udit Narayan and Vijeyeta Pundit)

“Hum Se Hai Saara Jahan” (Jatin and Sadhna Sargam)

“Naam Hai Mera Fonseca” (Amit Kumar and Alka Yagnik)

“Rooth Ke Humse Kahin” (Jatin Pundit)

What you need to make a film “hit”? If you ask any bollywood pundit he would say, “You need a star actor and actress, you need good story, a watertight screenplay, established music director and a great direction.” “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar”, hardly had such ingredients. Aamir Khan’s career had just started. Ayesha Jhulka was novice. Story had nothing extra special. Screenplay…well…Ok. If not wrong this is Jatin – Lalit’s debut film as music directors. Direction was fine nothing extraordinary about it. If my memory serves me right this was not even a “huge hit”, but yet it really caught the imagination of Indian youth who has just started to feel the free India. In 1990 Indian markets were opened slowly and with foreign goods foreign culture was also started to get in. Satellite TV has just started to entre. I was in second year of college in 1992 and I remember that “Valentines’ Day” was something new happened to us. The generation of Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Rishi Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborthy has started to attract less crowds on their own. New faces like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar were the new favorites among us the college goers. The feel of youth is what I can say “USP” of this movie. Story is simple yet entertaining and can catch the imagination of the youth of that time, like yours truly.

Story:

The story is situated in Dehradun. A city of education and colleges. Rajput College is the best among the lot, where rich people all across India put their sons and daughters, whereas Model College is for locals as well as for poor people. Xavier’s is for in-betweens and Queens College is exclusively for girls. Rajput, Xaviers and Queens are also known for the best quality education, same thing can’t be say about Model. Ramlal Sharma lives with his two sons, Ratanlal and Sanjaylal. He runs a small restaurant and he is also a coach for Model College Sports team. All the colleges annually fight for sports day. Who so ever wins the cycle race eventually becomes champion amongst all colleges . Ramlal Sharma was the last recipient of this prestigious tag and he now also wants his son, Ratan to do an encore for him and his college, since he has no hopes for Sanjalal who doesn’t have any seriousness for studies, sports or a life as a whole. Ratan on the other hand is a very sincere son and student and always saves Sanjay from their father’s anger. Ratan looses this year’s cycle race by a whisker against Shekhar Gupta a Rajput College dude. This is his last year so both Ratan and Ramlal gives everything so that Ratan can leave college with this prestigious tag. Meanwhile Sanjay is carefree and he also owns a gang. Anjali, Ghanshu and Maqsood are part of that gang. They all are good for nothing except Anjali, who always been helpful to her father and Ramlal’s family. They just do hulla gulla. Shekhar may be from a posh college and posh family but he is also mischievous. He always visits Ramlal’s restaurant and doesn’t mind insulting both Ramlal and Ratan about the defeats he gave them. Moreover he, with his friends, keeps on reminding the difference between their living standards. Sanjay always protests but in his own funnyway. Enters Devika. A new age girl with lots of attitude. Sanjay gets attracted at very first sight of her. Meanwhile Anjali too starts a feeling about Sanjay. Sanjay lies Devika that he is a son of rich father and he is from Xavier. Anjali comes to know about this. She feels hurt and starts to keep distance with Sanjay. But on Annual College Function, Devika comes to know about Sanjay’s reality and leaves him. Things take turn when Ratan while practicing has a brawl with Shekhar and his friends. He has been beaten severely and almost left to die. This changes Sanjay’s mindset. With a broken heart he got from Devika plus this accident, Sanjay suddenly becomes a responsible guy. Ramlal with this accident and the amount of time Ratan would take to recover before the Annual Sports Day, feels helpless and done with. But changed Sanjay gives him a hope. Anjali is always there for Sanjay and she helps in preparation for the race. There comes race day and with few twists and turns and a small fight, Sanjay eventually wins the race. Leaving every one stunned. Proves his father’s belief  that “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar”.

The story is simple. But the feeling which Mansoor Khan could bring out of every person watching this film is immense. Some movies as I believe just happen. Sometimes people take so much care to make a movie, spend so much money and efforts and yet fail to get acceptance from the public and sometimes making simple things simple, can generate good business. What is so special about this movie? It’s the earthly feeling. It’s the romance between Anjali and Sanjay which till end never surfaces. Its love towards naughty Sanjay and his gang despite being irresponsible. It’s helpless Ramlal in which many of us could see our fathers, who have gone through such periods before our eyes. It’s sincere Ratan who is really adorable for being a sincere and loving big bro. It’s Anjali who is just next door girl for us. It’s Shekhar like whom we have seen many in our real life. All in all despite having a chewed storyline or not so watertight screenplay, the earthly feeling shown in this movie caught us and people wanted to see the movie not only that could even  keep on loving this movie. As I said the youth of those days like me was totally floored with the movie. One could easily relate himself with Sanjay or herself with Anjali, or in other words one could see an Anjali and Sanjay around them as their love. Last but not the least, the end cycle race is really well handled by the director. One who has seen plenty of hindi movie could be rest assured about the outcome of the race, yet the race really looks real and pulsating, till the end.

Among all the songs, for me, “Pahela Nasha Pehela Khumar” is one of the best songs ever composed in our Hindi movie industry. Even today, when  I hear the song, it gives me goose bumps. Jatin Lalit could have lived a life without composing any other song and yet could have been remembered for ever. This song certainly has that “R.D.Burman feeling”, many Pancham fans will agree with me on this. Plus this was first song choreographed by Farha Khan, the leading choreographer of today.

Aamir Khan as we know is a genius, an actor par excellence. He decided to do a movie per year long after this movie. These days were struggling days for him or in other words, during these days he was trying to establish himself. He had done “Tum Mere Ho” for his dad and it was a huge disaster. This is his uncle and his cousin’s movie. But the same pair introduced him in “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”. Till now we know Aamir as a lover boy. Even in this movie he is mainly as a lover boy but first time probably we could find him trying a comedy. His expressions and his antics as naughty Sanjaylal are just fantastic.

To be very honest Ayesha Jhulka was my “first crush”. I liked her so much because of her simple looks. There is nothing glamorous about her. Probably that factor worked for her in this movie. She could easily fit in to girl next door role. She even has very less dialogues but she did a fantastic downplay acting. Sadly because of bad decisions while choosing movies, despite having this movie and Khiladi under her belt and the talent , she has lost somewhere.

The unknown quantity called Mamik was surprised package in this movie. Like Ayesha, he too had to underplay and still one could see a typical elder bro in him. I am talking about elder bros of those days and not now. He acted in Mr. India as a child artist and then there was a big gap till this movie happened and since this movie, we have hardly seen of Mamik. Kulbhushan Kharbanda as usual has gave his 100% . He is typical in his own way when it comes to dialogue delivery and acting, yet he has done a good job in this movie. Dipak Tijori, who started as hero’s friend in Aashiqui not so long back as done a fair job as villain. Nothing more nothing less I can say about him. Pooja Bedi…is ok, she lives up to her image.

I feel this movie still can attract today’s generation because of its freshness. I just can’t believe that in next four months, this movie will celebrate twenty years of its release. Time runs fast, very fast.

Dessert Storm!!!

“Bas zara si chook ho gayee, warna Ratan ne aaj race jeet hi lit hi”

“Nahi Dubeyjee, mein toh ek hi cheez manta hoon………….Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar”