Total Dhamaal: 7 Entertaining Movies Featuring Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit’s Adorable Pairing That You Should Watch Before Indra Kumar’s Crazy Comedy
In Total Dhamaal, Anil and Madhuri play a married couple, The movie also stars Ajay Devgn, Jaaved Jaaferi, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh and Sanjay Mishra in the lead.
February 22's big release, Total Dhamaal is special for a few reasons. It caps the Dhamaal trilogy, hopefully. It brings back the idea of having an ensemble starry cast. It also pairs up director Indra Kumar with some of his favourite actors. Above all, it marks the reunion of a favourite Bollywood pairing in Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit Nene. Thankfully, they also play a couple in the film, albeit a squabbling married one, that also stars Ajay Devgn, Jaaved Jaaferi, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh and Sanjay Mishra in the lead. Total Dhamaal: 13 Times Ajay Devgn Attempted to Make Us Laugh and How the Movies Fared at the Box Office
Bollywood fans who have watched films from the '80s and '90s will be aware of how lovely the jodi is of Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit is. Their pairing may not have a hundred percent success rate at the box office, but there is a guarantee that their chemistry would be the last thing you would complain about the film. Even in awfully trite guilty pleasure films like Rajkumar.
Though they have done nearly two dozen films, in this special feature, we look at seven entertaining films featuring Anil and Madhuri's pairing that any millennial should not miss before going for Total Dhamaal. Total Dhamaal, Junglee: Upcoming Movies That Extend the Fun to the Animal Kingdom.
Tezaab
The movie that established this jodi as one of the best in the industry. Tezaab, directed by N Chandra, firmly cemented Anil Kapoor's angry young man image, while serving as a breakout movie for Madhuri Dixit. The fact that Baaghi 2 has trolled for remixing her "Ek Do Teen" song confirms that no one wants to have the image of Mads dancing gloriously to its beats replaced.
Ram Lakhan
Ram Lakhan is basically a typical Subhash Ghai revenge drama driven by the tale of sibling rivalry. However, the romantic subplot between Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit's characters has its moments, which plays an important part in the action-packed climax.
Beta
Known for the evergreen, evocative "Dhak Dhak" track, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit's chemistry is at its best in this Indra Kumar family drama. The movie might not have aged well with the current times, but the powerhouse performances of both the actors can still make an impact on you as a viewer, even after numerous viewings.
Parinda
Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit's romance has never been so passionately depicted as in this gangster drama, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra (his best work of all). Which is why their shocking deaths, at the hands of Nana Patekar's maniac Anna, after a night of love-making feels all the more stinging and unforgettable.
Jamai Raja
Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit may be paired up in this light-hearted entertainer. However, it is the game of oneupmanship between Anil and Hema Malini's characters, the latter being his arrogant mother-in-law, that is the engaging theme of the film.
Khel
In Rakesh Roshan's rip-off of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (albeit with a gender twist), Madhuri and Anil are both entertaining to watch as the two con-artists trying to beat each other in their own game. Joining them in their adventures is the hilarious Anupam Kher.
Pukar
Anil Kapoor won the National Award or the Best Actor for his performance as the wrongly tainted army officer in this Rajkumar Santoshi film. While there is no doubt that Anil deserves that recognition, it is Madhuri Dixit's grey shaded act that is more fascinating to watch. The veteran actress nails it with her portrayal of a girl so obsessed with her spurned lover that she is willing to commit national betrayal, albeit inadvertently. Also, Mads is just a dream in that "Que Sera Sera" song, matching steps with Prabhu Deva.
Honourable Mention:
Lajja
Structured like an anthology, Lajja is a hard-hitting, if tad over-dramatic social drama featuring some very powerful performances from its lead cast. The Rajkumar Santoshi film failed to work at the box office then, but found acceptance among the viewers during its television run. The reason why we couldn't fit it among the above list is because, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri, both terrific, do not share a single scene in the film.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2019 04:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).