In the dynamic landscape of 1990s Bollywood, female leads often dominated the box office, sometimes overshadowing even the biggest male stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Salman Khan. This article revisits a specific instance where an actress, just 27 years old, outperformed Akshay Kumar not once, but five times in 1994. Despite Kumar’s successful streak with hits like ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari,’ ‘Suhaag,’ ‘Yeh Dillagi,’ and ‘Ailaan,’ he was surpassed by the remarkable performance of another film. The actress in question, along with a supporting cast member who was also a friend of Akshay Kumar, achieved remarkable success.
The year was 1994, and Akshay Kumar had a string of successful releases. ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ kicked things off, followed by hits such as ‘Suhaag,’ which also starred Ajay Devgn, ‘Yeh Dillagi’ with Saif Ali Khan, and ‘Ailaan.’ However, one film stood out above the rest.
The highest-grossing film of 1994 was ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun,’ starring Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan. The romantic drama has since become a cult classic, with fans still hoping for a reunion of the lead actors. Made on a budget of 6 crore, the film earned a staggering 128 crore worldwide. At the time of the film’s release, Madhuri was just 27 years old, the same age as Akshay Kumar.
Interestingly, the second highest-grossing film of the year was ‘Mohra,’ while Madhuri’s film took the top spot. Even with the success of Akshay Kumar’s hit films, he was unable to surpass Madhuri. Another major film of the year was ‘Krantiveer,’ featuring Dimple Kapadia, Akshay Kumar’s mother-in-law, further highlighting Madhuri’s dominance. While Madhuri Dixit’s career saw a financial peak with ‘Total Dhamaal,’ ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ set numerous records and remains a significant milestone in her career. Despite having less work compared to Akshay Kumar currently, her impact in 1994 was undeniable.
