You could say nostalgia had its way with social media when Pooja put these time-capsule pictures on display. They are in monochrome and they show the Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin team in matching whites, and as is the way of things online, everyone is swooning, re-posting and clamouring for a few more.
Here is what the throwback sparked for fans and film buffs alike:
– A fresh wave of 1990s Bollywood nostalgia
– Renewed love for Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin
– Curiosity about Rajadhyaksha’s balcony shoot
– A reminder of timeless on-screen chemistry
If you were around in the 90s, you know the feeling. The 1991 film was a Mahesh Bhatt job that also had Anupam Kher in it, and it was a hit then and still is for a lot of people.
Then you have Aamir as the soft-spoken Raghu Jetley and Pooja as the wayward Pooja Dharamchand. They made a certain kind of romance work, and even in a still, you can see why.
The mystery tease everyone is waiting on
But Pooja didn’t just let the photos speak for themselves; she put up a bit of a tease. ‘Someday I will share the story behind these impromptu photos shot on Gautam Rajadhyaksha’s balcony, in his home on Hughes road. But not yet.. Not just yet,’ she said.
It’s enough to make you want to know more. You have the movie, the co-star, the photographer and a mystery. It’s a fine cliffhanger.
The white-on-white that just works
The look is unpretentious: white, clean, no fuss. There is an aboutness to them that is hard to put in a frame, and that’s where Rajadhyaksha comes in. He has a way of being spontaneous without losing the star quality, and you can tell he got it right.
From early debuts to now
In a way, it’s full circle. Pooja’s first foray into films was with Daddy in 1989, another one of her father’s with Anupam Kher. The same faces from her early days are here in this post.
Aamir, for his part, made his mark with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Juhi Chawla. The same boyish sincerity he had in Dil Hai is what you see in these throwbacks.
What they are up to currently
Lately, Pooja has been at it with everything from Bombay Begums to Bigg Boss OTT 2, showing she can do it all. Aamir has been putting his son Junaid in the limelight with Ek Din, and while he is there to back him up, we are all waiting to see what he does next.
Why this moment matters
There is more to this than a couple of nice pictures. It is a case in point for how some of the best of Bollywood is found in the off-screen moments, in a photo or a half-finished anecdote. The whole setup, down to the Hughes road balcony, is part of the record.
So what now? We are all in for the tale Pooja has put us on. In the meantime, the photos are doing their job: making us talk about why some of these things don’t get old.
