Sooraj Barjatya

Sooraj R. Barjatya
Born (1965-02-22) 22 February 1965 (age 59)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active1989–present
Spouse
Vineeta Barjatya
​
(m. 1986)​
Children3
FatherRajkumar Barjatya
RelativesTarachand Barjatya (grandfather)
Kavita K. Barjatya (cousin)

Sooraj R. Barjatya (born 22 February 1965) is an Indian filmmaker who works in Hindi cinema.[1] He has directed and produced some of the most commercially successful Hindi films. His films often include themes of familial ties and values, and are rooted in traditional Indian culture. Barjatya is the chairman of Rajshri Productions, which was formed by his late grandfather Tarachand Barjatya in 1947.

Barjatya began his career as an assistant director to Mahesh Bhatt. He made his directorial debut with Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), a top-grossing romantic drama. His next release, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), became the highest-grossing Indian film to that point.[2] He had further commercial success in the family dramas Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), Vivah (2006), and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015). He won the National Film Award for Best Direction for Uunchai (2022).

Early life

Sooraj Barjatya was born in a Marwari Jain family[3] in Mumbai. He attended St. Mary's School, Mumbai and The Scindia School in Gwalior. Encouraged by his paternal grandfather, Tarachand Barjatya, he directed his first film Maine Pyar Kiya for Rajshri at the young age of 24. He married Vineeta Barjatya in 1986 and the couple have three children.

Career

Barjatya made his directorial debut with the romantic musical Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) starring Salman Khan and Bhagyashree in lead roles. The film received positive reviews upon release, and emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, as well as one of the highest grossers of the 1980s. It launched the careers of its lead actors, and earned them the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and Best Female Debut, respectively; it also earned Barjatya his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

He teamed up with Khan again alongside Madhuri Dixit for the ensemble musical romantic drama Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994). The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film at the time of its release. It became the first film to gross over ₹1 billion,[4] with Box Office India gave it the verdict "All Time Blockbuster", and described it as "the biggest blockbuster of the modern era."[5] The film was also awarded the Guinness World Record for "Highest-grossing Indian film" after having grossed over ₹2.5 billion ($82 million) worldwide. Hum Aapke Hain Koun sold 74 million tickets in India, giving it the highest domestic footfalls of any Hindi film released since the 1990s.[6] The film won numerous awards, including National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and the Filmfare Award for Best Film, in addition to earning Barjatya his first Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! influenced many subsequent Hindi films, and was also a trendsetter for glamorous family dramas and NRI-related films, and started Bollywood's "big-fat-wedding-film" trend. It also inspired hugely successful filmmakers such as Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar to make films with cultural themes. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! belongs to a small collection of films, including Kismet (1943), Mother India (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975), which are repeatedly watched throughout India and are viewed as definitive Hindi films with cultural significance.

He then collaborated with Khan for the third time for the family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), which received mostly positive reviews from critics, and emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[7][8]

His fourth film was the musical romantic comedy Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) starring Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles. Prior to release, the film was considerably hyped due to Barjatya's previous successes and the A-list star cast. However, upon release, it was highly panned by critics, and emerged as the first commercial disaster of Barjatya's career.[9]

His next film, the romantic drama Vivah (2006) starring Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao, however, emerged as one of the highest grossers of the year, despite mixed reviews.[10]

Post Vivah, he produced the romance Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi (2008) directed by Kaushik Ghatak, starring Isha Koppikar and Sonu Sood in lead roles. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews upon release and emerged as a commercial failure at the box office.[11]

Following a 9-year directorial hiatus, he returned to direction with the romantic family drama Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), which marked his fourth collaboration with Khan, alongside Sonam Kapoor. Despite mixed reviews, the film emerged as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, and one of the highest-grossing films of all time, grossing over ₹400 crore worldwide.[12]

After another 7-year hiatus, his next directorial venture was the adventure drama Uunchai (2022) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani with Parineeti Chopra. The film received mixed reviews upon release, and emerged as an below-average grosser at the box-office.[13] The film earned him the National Film Award for Best Direction, in addition to his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director,

In all of Barjatya's films until Uunchai, the male protagonists are named 'Prem'.[14] He had said in an interview that "Ours was a joint Marwari family and I grew up witnessing grand functions and wedding ceremonies in the family. The opulence shown in my films is based on my impressions as a child".[3]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Director Writer Notes Ref(s)
1989 Maine Pyar Kiya Yes Yes Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director [15]
1994 Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! Yes Yes Won – Filmfare Award for Best Director
Won – Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay 		[16]
1999 Hum Saath-Saath Hain Yes Yes [17]
2003 Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon Yes Yes [18]
2006 Vivah Yes Yes [19]
2008 Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi No Yes [20]
2015 Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Yes Yes [21]
2022 Uunchai Yes Yes Won – National Film Award for Best Direction
Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director 		[22]

References

  1. ^ "Sooraj Barjatya to shoot for his next in Lucknow". Hindustan Times. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Bahubali 2 is the Biggest Hindi Blockbuster This Century - Box Office India".
  3. ^ a b Divya Vasisht (29 June 2003). "Sooraj Barjatya: The big picture". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Boxofficeindia.com". 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Boxofficeindia.com". 26 October 2013. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Bahubali 2 Is The Biggest Hindi Blockbuster This Century - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Hum Saath Saath Hain - Movie - Box Office India". www.boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  8. ^ Top Lifetime Grossers 1995–1999 (Figures in Ind Rs) Archived 3 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Box Office India.
  9. ^ "Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Vivah - Movie - Box Office India". www.boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - Movie - Box Office India". www.boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Uunchai - Movie - Box Office India". www.boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  14. ^ Taran Adarsh (1 October 2012). "Box Office Top 5". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
  15. ^ Jain, Madhu (15 May 1990). "Sooraj Bhajatya's superhit film Maine Pyar Kiya saves Rajshri Productions". India Today. Living Media. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Sooraj Barjatya says Hum Aapke Hain Koun wasn't liked upon release: 'I remember audience walking out with every song'". Hindustan Times. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  17. ^ Anand, Aakriti (7 April 2015). "Then and now – Hum Saath-Saath Hain". Filmfare. ISSN 0971-7277. OCLC 1774328. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  18. ^ Elley, Derek (11 July 2003). "Main prem ki diwani hoon". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  19. ^ Adarsh, Taran (10 November 2006). "Vivah Review 3/5 | Vivah Movie Review | Vivah 2006 Public Review | Film Review". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  20. ^ Malani, Gaurav (8 November 2008). "Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi: Movie Review". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  21. ^ Vats, Rohit (12 November 2015). "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo review: Salman Khan is the ultimate boy scout". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  22. ^ "Parineeti Chopra plays the role of a tourist guide in Nepal in Sooraj Barjatya's Uunchai; film shot at world's most DANGEROUS airport". Bollywood Hungama. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.