Sooraj R. Barjatya | |
|---|---|
 Barjatya in 2012 | |
| Born | (1964-02-22)22 February 1964 (age 61) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Father | Rajkumar Barjatya |
| Relatives | Tarachand . Barjatya (grandfather) Kavita K. Barjatya (cousin) |
Sooraj R. Barjatya (born 22 February 1964) is an Indian filmmaker who works inHindi cinema.[1] He has directed and produced some of themost commercially successful Hindi films. His films often include themes of familial ties and values, and are rooted in traditionalIndian culture. Barjatya is the chairman ofRajshri Productions, which was formed by his late grandfatherTarachand Barjatya in 1947.
Barjatya began his career as an assistant director toMahesh Bhatt. He made his directorial debut withMaine 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 dramasHum Saath-Saath Hain (1999),Vivah (2006), andPrem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015). He won theNational Film Award for Best Direction forUunchai (2022).
Sooraj Barjatya was born in aMarwariJain family[3] inBombay. He attendedSt. Mary's School, Mumbai and TheScindia School inGwalior. Encouraged by his paternal grandfather,Tarachand Barjatya, he directed his first filmMaine Pyar Kiya for Rajshri at the young age of 24. He married Vineeta Barjatya in 1986 and the couple have three children.
Barjatya made his directorial debut with the romantic musicalMaine Pyar Kiya (1989) starringSalman Khan andBhagyashree in lead roles. The film received positive reviews upon release, and emerged as thehighest-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 theFilmfare Award for Best Male Debut andBest Female Debut, respectively; it also earned Barjatya his first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Director.
He teamed up with Khan again alongsideMadhuri Dixit for the ensemble musical romantic dramaHum 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] withBox 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 theGuinness 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, includingNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and theFilmfare 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 asAditya Chopra andKaran Johar to make films with cultural themes.Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! belongs to a small collection of films, includingKismet (1943),Mother India (1957),Mughal-e-Azam (1960) andSholay (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 dramaHum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), which received mostly positive reviews from critics, and emerged as thehighest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[7][8]
His fourth film was the musical romantic comedyMain Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) starringHrithik Roshan,Kareena Kapoor andAbhishek 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 dramaVivah (2006) starringShahid Kapoor andAmrita Rao, however, emerged as one of the highest grossers of the year, despite mixed reviews.[10]
PostVivah, he produced the romanceEk Vivaah... Aisa Bhi (2008) directed byKaushik Ghatak, starringIsha Koppikar andSonu 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 dramaPrem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), which marked his fourth collaboration with Khan, alongsideSonam Kapoor. Despite mixed reviews, the film emerged as thesecond 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 dramaUunchai (2022) starringAmitabh Bachchan,Anupam Kher andBoman Irani withParineeti Chopra. The film received mixed reviews upon release, and emerged as an below-average grosser at the box-office.[13] The film earned him theNational Film Award for Best Direction, in addition to his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director,
In all of Barjatya's films untilUunchai, 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]
| † | 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] |
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