Was blessed to have Mansoor Khan as director, says Ayesha Julka on 30 years of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar

The mellow ‘Pehla Nasha’ plays in the background as I write this piece. I can’t help but soak in nostalgia. And then, a thought occurs: they don’t make music and movies like these any more. Which explains why, on the 30^th anniversary of the release of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992) today, many of us would happily watch it all over again.

The charm of Mansoor Khan’s sophomore film as director did not lie just in its aesthetics or production values. The film continues to be relevant three decades later for the sheer simplicity of emotions and how viewers still connect with this story of an underdog, or the feeling of being in love at a tender age.

Then, of course, all of us grew up, but despite that one doesn’t really grow out of a film like this. So, on the 30^th anniversary of the cult Aamir Khan-starrer, we spoke to actress Ayesha Julka who was, perhaps, the woman behind Sanju’s win in the film’s climax that we all rooted for.

Asked if any of the film's team had anticipated that it would turn out to be such a cult favourite, she said, “It feels very elevating and I feel great that it has completed 30 years. We didn’t anticipate this kind of success. Obviously we were very young and didn’t think much about how it would do. But, over the years, when time and again you get a response for the film, it’s too nostalgic and overwhelming. Inexpressible, I’d say.”

Julka was so on-point with her portrayal of a girl whose love was unrequited and yet became the backbone and constant cheerleader for Khan’s character in the film. “I was blessed that I had a director like Mansoor," she said. "I’m a director’s actor. The maximum prep was done by Mansoor and I was just good at following instructions. Whatever he thought and created, it came on screen very well.”

While the film and its music touched many chords, it was also ahead of its time with some major innovative ways of filming. 'Pehla Nasha' was the first song shot in slow motion. Put simply, shooting in slow motion actually invovles shooting at higher-than-normal speed and then slowing the film down to normal speed. While it sounds simple, this meant the lip-synching was quite a task for the artistes. The actress remembered, “'Pehla Nasha' was conceived by Mansoor and [choreographer] Farah [Khan] executed it very well. It was the first of its kind, so the lip-synch was a challenge and we had to practise it. But we got it right soon.”

Music composer duo Jatin-Lalit did weave their magic to veteran Majrooh Sultanpuri’s lyrics with ‘Pehla Nasha’ and Lalit Pandit himself has confessed in an interview earlier that the song remains a landmark in their career and they have never attempted something like that again, because the magic cannot be recreated.

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar: 25 years of scintillating music

Having said that, all the songs of Jo Jeeta... were hugely appreciated. Talking of the music of the 1990s, Julka said, “I was lucky I got so many songs. I went on [the television reality singing show] Sa Re Ga Ma Pa recently and they told me I have so many songs and they were confused which to sing. In those times, songs were from the heart. People were fond of music and [the songs] used to work most times. Some songs are hummable even today. The benefit of those times is that they all have a different identity to them. Each song was different and had its charm.

"That passion came from the composers, lyricists and directors. Everything in combination worked well most times. And it wasn’t as if songs were inserted in the film just for the sake of it. The team worked hard on each song and most times at least one clicked. Luckily for films like Jo Jeeta... or Khiladi (1992), all the songs worked well.”

While audiences have evolved, just as the artistes and filmmakers have, a well-made film works for generations.