25 Years of Mela .

Mela (2000) completed 25 years on January 7. Starring Aamir Khan, Twinkle Khanna and Faisal Khan, the film had all the ingredients of a wholesome entertainer. However, the film underperformed at the box office and was eclipsed by the blockbuster Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Hrithik Roshan’s much-talked-about debut vehicle, which was released a week later. Nevertheless, the film got its due on non-theatrical avenues and is fondly remembered today by a majority of the film buffs. Interestingly, a prominent box office website mentioned that Mela is the “most unsuccessful successful film of Bollywood”.

On Mela’s 25th anniversary, its director Dharmesh Darshan spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama and he began by saying, “Mela is a highly watched film on digital and satellite. The young generation is quite crazy about it.”

As to why the film didn’t get its box office potential, he analysed, “Perhaps it happened as Faisal Khan outperformed Aamir Khan; it was a rare cinematic impossibility. The audience was not prepared for it.”

He gave another instance to prove his point, “One of the reasons why Shakti (1982) didn’t work as intended is because they felt that Dilip Kumar was better than Amitabh Bachchan. That was a time when Amitabh was like a God. Dilip saab was coming back after a long time but as a character actor. So, the real audience was disappointed. I guess Mela also suffered on the same lines.”

Dharmesh Darshan also remarked, “Mela was called outdated but it’s called among the most highly watched films. If it had been released today, the theatres would have been bursting at the seams with people. But at that time, with the arrival of multiplexes, it took a hit. My next film Dhadkan (2000) benefited from the multiplex wave, though. Perhaps if it had not been run down by critics and even the industry, it would have become a huge blockbuster.”

However, he’s happy that the film continues to remain in public memory, “It’s astonishing that when I go to the hinterlands, I could sense the craze for Mela. When I talk to the hotel staff, for instance, in these small towns, they discuss Mela more than Dhadkan. And then some people call it outdated! If that’s the case, then how do you explain its high viewership? That can’t be manipulated, right?”