SRK, Akshay Kumar return to theatres this Holi week with Retro Film Festival

Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in a still from Baazigar (1993).

One can speculate that Bollywood is resorting to re-releasing old films at the theatres as a dire measure to pull people to the theatres. And audiences are only too glad for that. Newer Hindi films don't hold a candle to the charms of older Hindi films. The nostalgia of all those chartbuster songs, the actions, the romance, the fun.

Several iconic Bollywood blockbuster films from the '90s are being re-released in theatres this Holi week. Select cinemas will screen Baazigar (1993) and Khiladi (1992) and Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994).

Leading multiplex chain Cinepolis will be screening Bollywood’s modern classics, including Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol-starrer Baazigar and Akshay Kumar’s Khiladi, across 25 theatres as part of its Retro Film Festival from March 22 to 28.

Writer-director Atul Sabharwal who curated this nostalgia series for SRK and Akki fans, told The Times of India, "Cinemas have been re-releasing retro films due to the incredible response they have been receiving from the audience. For this particular set of retro releases, we curated three films that are iconic and still relevant (today). Fans would love to watch the early films of their favourite stars in cinemas."

The producer of all three films Ratan Jain told TOI, "Baazigar and Khiladi and Main Khiladi Tu Anari are still remembered for their music." He added that those days, if you had music and action, your film would be a superhit. They would keep at least five-six songs in every film back in the day. The re-release is for the younger generation to watch the early films of these stars.

Blockbuster Baazigar, which saw SRK play the anti-hero, holds a significant place in Shah Rukh Khan’s illustrious career. The mystery thriller directed by Abbas-Mustan also captivated audiences with its chart-topping soundtrack. Watch and hear the OG Baazigar song, not the Badshah rendition.

As well as the iconic Akshay Kumar-Ayesha Jhulka song Wada raha sanam, sung by Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Alka Yagnik, from the murder mystery Khiladi. Or the foot-tapping Main Khiladi Tu Anari title track.

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Akshay Kumar in a still from Khiladi (1992)." width="562" height="435" /> Ayesh Jhulka and Akshay Kumar in a still from Khiladi (1992).

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Main Khiladi Tu Anari is an action comedy directed by Sameer Malkan, starring Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, and Shilpa Shetty in lead roles. It revolves around a rugged cop (Akshay) and an aspiring actor (Saif) who team up to solve a murder case.

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Sharing a poster of the forthcoming film festival on Instagram on Wednesday, Kajol reminisced about Baazigar. “Flashback to a time when magic unfolded on the silver screen! Inviting you to relive those moments at our Retro Film Festival with the iconic Bollywood classic - “Baazigar.” ,” she wrote.

“As someone who had the privilege to bring this magic to life, I'm thrilled to join you in this nostalgic journey. Let’s celebrate the timeless era of Bollywood together! Screening at your nearest Cinépolis theatre,” the actress added.

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The Retro Film Festival at Cinepolis follows close on the heels of the Nostalgia Film Festival, organised by PVR-INOX last month, where several romantic films starring Shah Rukh Khan were screened. Film festivals dedicated to Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar were also held on the actors’ respective birthdays last year.

Producer Ratan Jain further recalled how SRK was cast for Baazigar. "I had the unreleased song sequence of Deewana (1992). I showed them to Abbas-Mustan, and they liked the actor in them. That actor was Shah Rukh Khan. When I approached SRK, he immediately agreed to do the film," he told TOI. SRK wanted to do a "hatke" (edgy) role. He also didn't like doing romantic films, Jain added, "But then he did DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995) and that became his biggest hit."