1975-1996: This time, that year

Yash Chopra’s Deewar, once again penned by Salim-Javed, laid a firm foundation for Amitabh Bachchan’s rise to superstardom. Gulzar’s Aandhi, was a surprise hit. Starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen it ran into censor trouble and was even withdrawn from the theatres during the Emergency. It took Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 23 weeks before she pulled it off. The other big grossers of the year: Choti Si Baat, Dharmatma, Julie, Khel Khel Mein, Sanyasi and Zakhmee. The ruling stars this year were Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Sanjeev Kumar.

1976: This year too belonged to the Big B, who notched up two hits, Hera Pheri and the sensitive Kabhi Kabhie. Shatrughan Sinha entered the top bracket with Subhash Ghai’s Kalicharan.

1977: The king of masala entertainers, Manmohan Desai gave as many as three hit films this year. Amar Akbar Anthony, arguably Desai’s best potboiler, also marked the beginning of his long and successful collaboration with Amitabh Bachchan. His other blockbusters for the year were Dharam Veer with Dharmendra and Jeetendra and Parvarish with Bachchan and Vinod Khanna. And with the racy thriller Inkaar, Khanna posed the first serious threat to Bachchan’s supremacy. Among the heroines, Rekha, Parveen Babi and Rakhee were the front runners for the year.

1978: Bachchan’s dream run continued with Don, Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Trishul and Kasme Vaade. And he won his first Filmfare best actor award this year for Don. Director Bhimsen’s Ghar proved to be the turning point of Rekha’s career. Her portrayal of a woman trying to cope with the trauma of rape and its effect on her marriage was one of her best roles ever. Among the other winners this year were, Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Daada and Akhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, the teen romance based on Erich Segal’s Love Story. Apart from Bachchan and Rekha, Sanjeev Kumar, Rakhee, Vinod Khanna and Shashi Kapoor were the top stars this year.

1979: The Bachchan-Rekha team set the screen ablaze with Mr Natwarlal and Suhaag. Another actress from the South, Jaya Prada, made her debut in the musical hit, Sargam. Poonam Dhillon made her first appearance on screen in a love story set in Kashmir, Noorie, opposite Faroukh Sheikh. The mother of all Hindi horror films, Jaani Dushman, which starred Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Shatrughan Sinha, also had a successful run.

1980: While Bachchan had two hits, Do Aur Do Panch and Ram Balram, it was Jumping Jack Jeetendra who actually raced to the top with a mindboggling success ratio this year. Tearjerkers like Aasha, Jyoti Bane Jwala, Judaai and Maang Bharo Saajna, established him as the number one family entertainer. Subhash Ghai’s reincarnation saga, Karz, launched the career of another actress, Tina Munim and put Rishi Kapoor in the big league. Feroz Khan’s Qurbani, the bold and controversial Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Khoobsoorat and the Rajesh Khanna-Shabana Azmi starrer, Thodi Si Bewafai, were the other successful films this year. The sensuous Zeenat Aman scored three hits and sizzled her way to the top.

1981: The most talked-about love triangle in Bollywood was replayed on screen this year. Yash Chopra made the impossible possible when he got Bachchan, Rekha and Jaya Bhaduri (who came out of her self-imposed retirement) together in Silsila. Unfortunately, the film didn’t live up to the hype and couldn’t match the success of Bachchan’s other hits, Laawaris, Dostana, Kaaliya and Naseeb. Two musical romances, Ek Duje Ke Liye and Rajendra Kumar’s Love Story provided a break from the era of on-screen violence and launched the careers of Southern star Kamal Haasan and the new teenage heartthrob, Kumar Gaurav. Rekha proved her versatility yet again and notched up her first National Award with Muzzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan. And Manoj Kumar continued his Bharat obssession with his multistarrer, Kranti.

1982: Mithun Chakraborty, who was stuck in the B-grade bracket, finally broke free with B Subhash’s Disco Dancer and won the hearts of millions. Another path-breaking film this year was B R Chopra’s Muslim family drama, Nikaah. Bachchan continued to call the shots with Namak Halal, Desh Premee and Khuddar. Two off-beat films, Bazaar starring Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah and Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom did well at the box-office, as did Subhash Ghai’s Vidhaata and Raj Kapoor’s Prem Rog.

1983: The ageing superstar, Rajesh Khanna made a come-back of sorts with Avtaar and Souten. Jeetendra along with rising star, Sridevi, set the cash registers ringing in the Southern-style pots and pans hit, Himmatwala. Two new star were launched this year — Dharmendra gave son Sunny Deol the ideal launch-pad with Betaab and Subhash Ghai made a Hero of the dada from Teenbatti, Jackie Shroff.

1984: India’s first 3-D film, Chota Chetan gave audiences a thrilling new theatre experience. And Prakash Mehra’s Sharabi gave a new dimension to the angry young man, Amitabh Bachchan. Mithun did his bit in the family melodrama department with Pyar Jhukta Nahin along with Padmini Kolhapure. While Jeetendra continued to dance on with the Southern brigade — Sridevi and Jaya Prada — in Tohfa, B R Chopra’s courtroom drama, Aaj Ki Aawaz also proved to be a hit.

1985: This was the come-back year of the Bobby girl, Dimple Kapadia. She had two releases, Saagar which fetched her and co-star Kamal Haasan Filmfare awards and Arjun with Sunny Deol, a sleek film about the disenchantment of the educated urban youth and the politician-underworld nexus. Another film about the rebellious urban youth, N Chandra’s Ankush brought a new man-of-the-masses to the fore in the form of Nana Patekar. And Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili (which distributors refused to touch) belied all predictions to become the top grosser of the year. The other front-runners were Sanjog, Pyari Behna and Tawaif.

1986: Sridevi became the undisputed box-office queen with her snakes-and-charmers hit, Nagina. She joined forces with the Big B in Aakhri Raasta, the re-make of a Southern hit. And this year marked the debut of the dancing hero from Virar, Govinda, in Pahlaj Nihalani’s Ilzaam. Karma — Subhash Ghai’s patriotic re-hash of V Shantaram’s black-and-white classic Do Ankhen Barah Haath — gave Anupam Kher a permanent spot among the bad guys with his chilling portrayal of the megalomaniac Dr Dang. Also on the hit-list were Insaniyat Ke Dushman, Loha, Naam and Swarg Se Sundar.

1987: Garam Dharam flared his nostrils and flexed his muscles in two blockbusters this year — Aag Hi Aag and Hukumat. Rakesh Roshan made his directorial debut with Khudgarz, while Vinod Khanna made an impressive come-back after spending years in hibernation with his guru, Rajneesh, in Insaaf. Kudrat Ka Kanoon, Marte Dam Tak, Mr India, Pratighaat and Sindoor also did well at the box-office.

1988: Mansoor Khan’s first film, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, the biggest box-office hit of the year, gave a new life to glossy teenage romances and became a cult movie for the youth. This combination of a Romeo and Juliet theme and the standard Nasir Hussain pop-musical also gave Aamir Khan a sensational debut. The superstar on the wane, Bachchan essayed yet another larger-than-life messiah-of-the-masses in Shahenshah. While Mira Nair’s off-beat Salaam Bombay went down well with the audiences. As did Hatya, Kaalchakra and Khoon Bhari Maang.

1989: Close on the heels of QSQT came Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya starring Salman Khan and Bhagyashree. This film broke Sholay’s 14-year monopoly to become the biggest grosser in the history of Hindi cinema.

Anil Kapoor was dubbed the new superstar when he followed the Big B’s footsteps to play the angry young man in two mega-hits, Tezaab and Ram Lakhan. However he didn’t live up to the title for long. The reigning queen of the ’90s, Madhuri Dixit started her climb to the top with her sizzling number "Ek, do, teen". But the real star of the year was Sridevi who carried films like Chandni and Chaalbaaz on the strength of her versatility and dancing prowess. Naseeruddin Shah got his first taste of commercial success in Rajiv Rai’s Tridev where he joined forces with Sunny Deol and Jackie Shroff to wipe off evil from the face of the earth.

1990: Amitabh Bachchan won his first National Award for his portrayal of Vijay Chauhan, the underworld don with a heart of gold, in Agneepath.

Mahesh Bhatt’s Aashiqui was the breezy romance of the year and it gave a new lease of life to the music-director duo Nadeem-Shravan and Kishore Kumar clone, Kumar Sanu. With Ghayal, Sunny Deol gave his sagging career a shot in the arm, while Dil ended Aamir Khan’s lean trot at the box-office.

1991: Aamir scored another hit this year along with Pooja Bhatt in Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin, a modern-day version of the Raj Kapoor-Nargis hit, Chori Chori. Sanjay Dutt became a force to reckon with after Saajan and Sadak. Randhir Kapoor finished his father’s incomplete dream project, Heena, Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar saw the clash of two titans of yesteryears, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar. The film also launched a new face: Manisha Koirala. And Bachchan’s "Chumma de…" number helped Hum on the road to success.

1992: Another star was born with the musical love triangle, Deewana. Shah Rukh Khan jumped out of the small screen to play the poor little rich boy who is obssessed with Divya Bharti. Mukul Anand’s epic saga,Khuda Gawah saw the two superstars, Bachchan and Sridevi, trying to match wits and talent in a bid to outdo each other. But Sridevi’s position was already being threatened by Madhuri whose sensuous "Dhak dhak" jhatkas in Beta set the screen ablaze. An unexpected winner, Phool Aur Kante launched Ajay Devgan’s career.

1993: Govinda teamed up with director David Dhawan to score the biggest hit this year, the masala entertainer, Aankhen. And Shah Rukh Khan took a bold step to play an obessessed lover in Darr and a killer on a mission in Baazigar. In both cases, his gamble paid off. Aamir joined hands with Juhi Chawla in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke. Sanjay Dutt stepped out of prison to play a reel-life Khalnayak while Madhuri’s "Choli ke peeche kya hai" stirred a controversy but was a hit with the front benchers.

1994: This year marked yet another turning point in history with the release of Sooraj Barjatya’s second film, Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!. Madhuri Dixit was crowned the undisputed queen of Bollywood with this sugary-sweet wedding video-type drama, which, to date, stands as the number one grosser in Hindi cinema. The Govinda-Dhawan duo scored another winner with Raja Babu.

1995: Shah Rukh Khan was the star of the year with the twin successes of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Karan Arjun. With DDLJ, Yash Chopra’s son Aditya gave a fresh look to his father’s romantic formula. And with Rangeela Aamir Khan stepped out of his chocolate boy image to play the street smart tapori, Munna. Urmila Matondkar gave sizzle-on-screen a new meaning aided and abetted by Telugu director Ram Gopal Varma. The other two hits this year were Coolie No 1 and Raja. Akshay Kumar’s stunts spelt success for Sabse Bada Khiladi.

1996: Madhuri’s reign at the top got its first serious blow in the form of Karisma Kapoor who starred in this year’s top grosser, Raja Hindustani, along with Aamir Khan. Sunny Deol’s career was revived yet again with Ghatak (which was virtually Ghayal Part 2) and Jeet. Govinda continued to woo the masses with his pelvic thrusts in Saajan Chale Sasural while Chandrachur Singh made an impressive debut with Tere Mere Sapne and followed it up with Gulzar’s Maachis. Akshay Kumar’s on-screen liaison with Rekha and off-screen romance with heroine Raveena Tandon ensured that Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi kept the cash registers ringing.

All archival material and photographs courtesy Subhash Chheda