Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is renowned for delivering dark, intense and impactful films back in the 90s.
Iconic works like Zakhm, Daddy, and Aashiqui showcased unconventional love stories, tackled pressing societal issues, and featured gripping drama that was often inappropriate for children.
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Wanting to create a film his children could enjoy, the director shifted genres and directed the comedy-masala film Duplicate for his daughter, Alia Bhatt.
Released in 1998, the movie starred Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Sonali Bendre in lead roles, with outstanding performances by Gulshan Grover, Mohnish Bahl, Farida Jalal, Sharat Saxena, and Tiku Talsania.
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Farah Khan, who had just begun her career as a choreographer, also worked on the film.
The story revolved around mistaken identities, portraying Shah Rukh Khan as a chef wrongly framed as a gangster, who also played a double role as the villain.
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However, this shift in genre didn’t benefit him well as the film turned into a big flop.
Duplicate was co-produced by Karan Johar and his father, Yash Johar, founders of Dharma Productions, who suffered huge losses from this project.
However, it was their last flop before becoming a big success. Their next project, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), turned out to be a massive success and won hearts nationwide.
Interestingly, Alia Bhatt made her first on-screen appearance as a child artist in Mahesh Bhatt’s Sangharsh (1999), portraying the younger version of Preity Zinta’s character.
She later made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, establishing herself as a prominent actor in the industry.
