In 1991, two films clashed at the box office. While one film had superstars Anil Kapoor and Sridevi and was directed by the legendary Yash Chopra, the other marked the debuts of two young actors Ajay Devgn and Madhoo (her first Hindi movie), and was also helmed by debutant director Kuku Kohli. Interestingly, Anil and Sridevi-starrer was a major flop, while Ajay and Madhoo's debut movie was a major success. These films were Lamhe and Phool Aur Kante.
Released on November 22, 1991, the musical romantic drama Lamhe was made in Rs 7 crore and could only earn Rs 6 crore net in India. On the other hand, the action romantic film Phool Aur Kante's budget was Rs 2.50 crore and it collected Rs 7 crore net across India. However, the Yash Chopra directorial went on to win five awards for Best Film, Best Actress to Sridevi, Best Comedian to Anupam Kher, Best Story to Honey Irani, and Best Dialogue to Rahi Masoom Raza; Ajay Devgn won the Best Male Debut award at the 1992 Filmfare Awards.
In an interview earlier this year, Rohit Shetty, Ajay's regular collaborator, shared that Anil Kapoor had even advised Ajay Devgn's father Veeru Devgn to not release his son's debut film alongside his own movie. Talking to Lallantop, Rohit said, "So, Lamhe and Phool Aur Kaante released the same day. Back then, box office clashes weren’t a big deal. In fact, Anil sir had worked a lot with Veeru ji, and he advised them to not go up against Lamhe. He said that Ajay is like his younger brother. But then, Kuku ji said that it’s ok, we will proceed with the release. Lamhe will also work and our film will also work." But eventually, Lamhe was rejected by the audiences, who made Ajay Devgn a star after Phool Aur Kaante.
Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn are now awaiting the release of Singham Again. The cop action drama, which also features Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff, will clash with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 at the box office on Diwali. Directed by Anees Bazmee, the horror comedy stars Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, Vidya Balan, and Madhuri Dixit Nene.
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