Several blockbusters of all time released in 2001 have gained cult status over the years.
On June 15, 2001, Indian Cinema got two iconic films which will be unforgettable till eternity. Yes, we are talking about 'Lagaan' and 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'. But 2001 was indeed an iconic year for the movies and it changed the face of Indian cinema on many levels. The year had Aamir Khan delivering two blockbusters in the same year with 'Lagaan' and 'Dil Chahta Hai'. While Shah Rukh Khan went from being an emperor to a lover boy in 'Asoka' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'.
The year also gave movies that might have not been a box office success but gained cult status over the years.
Take a look at these popular movies in detail below:
1. 'Aśoka'
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Santosh Sivan directorial 'Aśoka' released on October 26, 2001. The film starred Shah Rukh Khan playing the titular role of Emperor Ashoka and was seen alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ajith Kumar, Hrishita Bhatt and Danny Denzongpa.
'Asoka' went on to become the 13th-highest-grossing film of 2001 in India.
2. 'Chandni Bar'
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'Chandni Bar' directed by Madhur Bhandarkar is a National award-winning film which released on September 28, 2001. The film had an amazing star cast which include Tabu, Atul Kulkarni, Ananya Khare, Rajpal Yadav, Minakshi Sahani and Vishal Thakkar.
For 'Chandni Bar', Tabu won Best Actress while Atul and Ananya bagged awards in Best Supporting Actor at the National Film Awards. The film went on to win National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.
3. 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke'
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Director duo Abbas-Mustan helmed a romantic film titled 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke' in 2001. The film was among the first few films to show surrogacy as a subject. The movie starred Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta in the lead roles.
4. 'Dil Chahta Hai'
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A coming-of-age film that changed the face of Indian Cinema is 'Dil Chahta Hai'. Farhan Akhtar who made his directorial debut with the film showed the story of three best friends played by Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna. They were backed by three amazing female leads Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia.
5. 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'
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Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel's 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' is a crossover love story set during the partition of India in 1947. The film directed by Anil Sharma released on the same day as 'Lagaan' that is June 15, 2001.
It went on to become the second highest-grossing film of that year.
6. 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'
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Karan Johar's second directorial 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...' went on to become the highest-grossing Indian film in the world back in 2001. The movie had an ensemble cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Moreover, even Rani Mukerji had a special appearance in the film.
'K3G' as it's popularly called released on December 14, 2001.
7. 'Lagaan'
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'Lagaan' an unforgettable movie of the Indian cinema completed 20 years of its release on June 15 this year. The film set in the pre-Independence era of India showed the story of a set of villagers competing in a cricket match against the Britishers.
The film became the third Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. 'Lagaan' directed by Ashutosh Gowariker starred Aamir Khan in the leading role with the then debutant Gracy Singh as the female lead. The film also had British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles.
Moreover, it had stalwarts from the world of entertainment who made the cricket team. They are namely Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Raj Zutshi, Pradeep Rawat, Akhilendra Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey, Shrivallabh Vyas, Yashpal Sharma, Amin Hajee, Aditya Lakhia among many others.
8. 'Lajja'
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'Lajja' directed by Rajkumar Santoshi is a hard-hitting film showing the plight of women in India. The film features Manisha Koirala in the lead role who travels through India and stumbles upon women whose names are kept after Goddess Sita. The women she meets through her journey are played by Mahima Chaudhry, Madhuri Dixit and Rekha.
'Lajja' had an ensemble cast which includes Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Johnny Lever, Ajay Devgn, Suresh Oberoi, Sharman Joshi, Danny Dengzongpa, Razak Khan, Gulshan Grover and Aarti Chhabria.
9. 'Nayak'
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S Shankar directorial 'Nayak' released in 2001 is the Hindi remake of his Tamil film 'Mudhalvan'. The film is based on how a television cameraperson played by Anil Kapoor becomes Chief Minister of the state for a day after he interviews the serving CM in a controversial interview.
'Nayak' also starred Rani Mukerji as the female lead and people have appreciated the actors for their incredible performance in the film.
10. 'Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein'
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R Madhavan made his Bollywood debut with 'Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein' which is the remake of the Tamil film 'Minnale' featuring the actor in the lead role. Moreover, Dia Mirza also made her acting debut with 'RHTDM' directed by Gautham Menon.
The film has gone on to become a cult over the years and also starred Saif Ali Khan in an extended cameo role.
11. 'Yaadein'
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After a failed attempt of bringing Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan together in their debut year, the actors went on to work together in two films released in 2001. The first one to hit the screens was 'Yaadein' directed by Subhash Ghai.
Along with them, the film also starred Jackie Shroff in the lead role along with Amrish Puri among others.
12. 'Zubeidaa'
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Shyam Benegal directed a beautiful film 'Zubeidaa' written by Khalid Mohammed. The film starred Karisma Kapoor in the lead role and was based on the ill-fated actor Zubeida Begum, who married Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur and was the mother of Khalid.
'Zubeidaa' went on to win National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and also starred Rekha, Manoj Bajpayee, Surekha Sikri, Rajit Kapoor, Lillete Dubey, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, and Shakti Kapoor.
