Kalank, with all its posters, teasers and songs, has piqued our curiosity, especially after the trailer for the period romance that dropped on Wednesday. But its not just the subject or the historical setting that has us waiting for the film’s release with bated breath. A lot of the crazy hype around the film comes from its massive star cast which brings actors from different generations together to share screen space and create some interesting moments.
As we continue to speculate about the story and characters of Kalank from its trailer here’s a look back at some of the most memorable multi-starrer films that have stayed with us to date.
1. Dil Dhadakne Do
Isn’t Zoya Akhtar the queen when it comes to capturing human emotions and sketching characters that are layered and flawed? All her films so far have featured ensemble casts, but her biggest casting coups came in 2015’s Dil Dhadakne Do, with the likes of Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar and Shefali Shah sharing screen space.
While we do remember the absolutely adorable dog, Pluto, with none other than Aamir Khan voicing him, all these amazing actors delivered compelling performances as part of a dysfunctional family. While Anil slayed as the stubborn father and somewhat indifferent husband, Shefali moved us as the wife dealing with her husband’s infidelity. Ranveer and Priyanka made the best siblings, and even Anushka and Rahul Bose had small, but significant parts.
2. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
This slice-of-life film celebrates friendship and how! Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar go on a road trip and discover themselves in the process. Differences melt away and relationships filled with empathy and understanding blossom. While Kalki Koechlin and Katrina Kaif are seen playing an important role in Abhay and Hrithik’s self-discovery respectively, Deepti Naval as Farhan’s mother and Naseeruddin Shah as his father add another dimension to the story.
3. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
An angry dad, a perpetually teary-eyed mom, a rebellious son, another sanskari beta, grand sets and mega stars - when Karan Johar is here can generous amount of melodrama be far behind? Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh and his wife Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan - you name a star, and boom, Karan Johar places them on the big screen for you in this 2001 family drama. Even Rani Mukerji makes a glamorous guest appearance. Kaun hai jisne dobaara mudke is film ko nahi dekha? I am sure, no one.
4. Hum Saath Saath Hain
In all Sooraj Barjatya films, the ensemble cast is always ready to deck out in garish clothes and dance to the cheesiest of songs. Hum Saath Saath Hain is no exception. The film boasted a dazzling star cast - Salman Khan, Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan, Karishma Kapoor, Tabu. You can safely leave your brains behind every time you plan to watch the film. How else can you sit through a supposed ‘weepie’ where a bechari mother (has to be Reema Lagoo) drives away her sanskari stepson because he seems to be an apparent threat to her biological children? The 90s children, you are allowed to cherish a few of the songs.
5. Kuch Kuch Hota Hain
Did anyone really know that Friendship Day was a thing before this film? Despite the bizarre plot, we were blown away by Shah Rukh Khan’s swaying open arms, Kajol’s miraculous transformation in the span of three and Rani Mukerji’s short dresses. Johar takes us into a world where college meant fooling around and attending lessons on love. We forgave SRK for trying to sabotage Kajol’s wedding to Salman Khan despite proclaiming “shaadi bhi ek baar hoti hai aur pyaar bhi ek hi baar hoti hai.” When the hero wants his heroine, the entire universe, and in this case more stars, conspire to bring them together. Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Himani Shivpuri, Sana Saeed (who became a big child star post the release), are the perfect ensemble to make that happen. But till date, we hum those iconic songs.
6. Border
JP Dutta’s Border is hailed as one of the most memorable war films. The icing on the cake. Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Pooja Bhatt, Rakhi. Action, drama, songs, tears - we still fondly speak about this film and all its characters.
7. Sholay
If there’s one pair that has been immortalised in Bollywood, it is Jai and Veeru. And the stars who have made that possible are none other than Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. Their dialogues, the long monologue of Amitabh before he dies (those were the times when bullets smashing through your chest could not rob you of the final speech), the songs - they are all iconic. Even the female leads - Jaya Bachchan’s silence as opposed to the feisty Hema Malini aka Basanti - stand the test of time. Not to forget Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) and Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar).
Director Ramesh Sippy brought some of the biggest stars of the time under one roof.
When it comes to Sholay not just the leads, but all the supporting characters too are memorable. In fact, they all went on to became popular that after the release of the film. From Asrani as the jailer and A K Hangal as Rahim Chacha to Mac Mohan as Samba.
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