Flashback Friday: Revisiting Hrithik Roshan Starrer Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, An Era-Defining Romance Flick

Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel starrer ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ was an anomaly in that era for abundance of reasons.

Roshan made a huge gamble to introduce his son to the Hindi film industry, and it paid off spectacularly. ( Image Source :IMDb )

New Delhi: They don't make them like that anymore. This could be said for a lot of films in the late 90s and early 2000s but Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel starrer ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ was an anomaly in that era for abundance of reasons. Romantic comedies, such as this one directed by Rakesh Roshan, flourished like no other during a time when movies focused more on fancies and less on fact. Roshan made a huge gamble to introduce his son to the Hindi film industry, and it paid off spectacularly.

Known as the Greek god of Bollywood, Hrithik joined the new generation of actors and shot to fame instantly. Later, he also appeared on numerous magazine covers as the face of the publication. Following its release, 'Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai' was added to the Guinness World Records in 2002 as the feature film with the most awards—92 in all, from a wide range of ceremonies. 'Ratha Sapthami', a Kannada film from 1986, formed an inspiration for the primary theme of the film.

During those times when introducing a star kid was not met with accusations of nepotism, Hrithik experienced a great deal of support and affection from viewers. The actor played not one, but two roles in the film, Raj and Rohit, which went on to become the highest-grossing film of 2000. At first glance, the movie appears to be a romantic drama about a young man from a humble background who falls in love with the daughter of an affluent businessman. And just as it does in basically every one of these stories, the heroine's father jumps in and ends their budding romance. With romance, action, and vengeance, the commercial hit had everything needed to be a blockbuster.

A rookie, Kareena Kapoor, was envisioned by the director as the film's female protagonist, while Shah Rukh Khan, a huge celebrity in Bollywood, was at first considered for the lead role. Hrithik took over the role, though, after Khan's ‘Koyla’ bombed at the box office. On the other hand, after a few days of filming, Kareena walked out to work on 'Refugee' with Abhishek Bachchan. The film's songs still have the same power and can still make us sway to the music more than 20 years after it was first released. The drama and diligent work of the young Hrithik and Ameesha continues to capture the interest of the crowd, even though the film's premise may not be as relevant in the age of OTT.

To set the scene, our hero—an orphan and struggling musician—is introduced fairly early in the movie. Up until now, Rohit and his younger brother Amit have been getting by on the kindness of a Christian couple. Next, the movie included a scene where the guy-next-door Rohit sees Sonia (Ameesha Patel) getting ready for the light to turn green while she's getting her hair and makeup done, and he falls madly in love with her. Interestingly, this scene was inspired by Hrithik Roshan's own romantic tale of meeting Sussanne Khan (Hrithik’s former spouse) at a traffic signal.

Soon into the film, it is established that Sonia is the daughter of a wealthy man, Mr. Saxena, and Rohit is occupied with finding work to get some income. They befriend one other in spite of their diverse social classes. Rohit and Sonia accidentally end up stranded on a remote island after the set on a cruise with a bunch of friends. Despite the absurdity of their situation—which only Bollywood could make us believe—they manage to stay on the island without food or water and eventually fall in love.

However, when the mysterious antagonist shows around, it doesn't turn into a simple romance tale. After witnessing a crime in broad daylight, Rohit gets pushed into the sea by the lawbreakers, where he dies. After a brief while of grieving, Sonia meets Raj, Rohit's doppelganger, at another red light and believes him to be Rohit, her deceased lover. After much conjecture, they go see Rohit's friends and family to find out the truth. This is when Amit, Rohit's younger brother, tells them that he saw his brother being chased by the people who would eventually kill him. Raj undertakes the mission to avenge Rohit's death even though he has no relationship with his lookalike and could risk his own life in doing so. Certainly, only a Bollywood hero is capable of doing that. 

'Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai' received fantastic reviews even though the majority of critics thought the movie had a cliched plotline. The movie arrived at the theater fully loaded with all the essential elements, including comedy, tragedy, action, romance, excitement and drama. What it also left behind was a track record for tremendous fanfare and a legacy that no other rookie actor has been able to equal.