Do you feel that Shah Rukh Khan's films in the 90s were way better than his recent flicks?

 I think SRK did his best movies in the 2000’s. The 1990s was a phase of the becoming of SRK with lots of hits and misses. 2010s onwards he either didn't try at all or tried too hard with mediocre content.

In the 90s he did Very Good films- Baazigar, Darr, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, DDLJ.

Some popular films which were great then but may not have aged that well today- Kuch Kuch Hota hai, Dil to Pagal hai, Karan Arjun, Pardes, Deewana.

Then he had films which were feel good films not great but good enough to put smile on your face- Raju Ban gaya gentleman, Chamatkar, Yes Boss

And films which remained underrated and didn't receive the appreciation it deserved- Anjaam, Dil Se, Chahhat, Badshah, Maya Memsaab

And then his bad and atrocious films- Dil Aashna hai (bad), King Uncle (loved it as a child but not as an adult plus SRK was barely there), Guddu (Trash), Zamana Deewana (utter trash), O Darling ye hai India (utterly bad film which tried to act way too smart), Trimurti (Big budget trash), Ram Jaane (not bad as a film but SRK was so over the top in the film), English Babu desi mem (very bad), Koyla (not a bad film but too excessive in violence, not an easy watch), Duplicate (could have been fun but a mess). Not including his cameos in Army (which was also bad) and Dushman Duniya ka (very very bad)

In the 2000s he had a much better filmography. His great to very good films will include- Swades, Devdas, Kal Ho na Ho, Veer Zaara, Chak De India

His Good to decent films without the same recall value include- Kabhi Khushi kabhi Gam, Mohabbatein, Main Hun Na, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Don (good film would have received much more love without the comparison with the original), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Chalte Chalte, Om Shanti Om (a really entertaining film except the plot heavily copied from Madhumati especially the climax)

His underrated films will include- Phir bhi Dil hai Hindustani (more relevant in today's condition of journalism), Ashoka and Paheli (also his cameos in Hey Raam, Saathiya and Luck by Chance)

His not so good, bad and atrocious films will include- Josh (the film was quite decent just SRK doesn't suit in gunda type roles), One 2 ka 4 (could have been fun but a mess), Hum Tumhare hai Sanam (SRK was very good, but the film would have been better had it not been delayed for 6 years), Ye Lamhe Judai Ke (a cash grab scheme to take advantage of SRK's stardom)

In 2010s SRK had a decline in his career. In this phase he only had one great to very good film- My Name is Khan.

His Good to decent films will include- Don 2, Raees, Dear Zindagi (I personally liked it)

Most of his films in 2010s were mediocre not bad but also not good- Jab Tak hai Jaan, Chennai Express, Ra.One (graphics were great screenplay was pathetic), Fan (underrated, went overboard in the second half otherwise SRK's best performance in years)

And the bad to utter trash- Happy New Year (what nonsense was that), Dilwale (the same question repeated), Zero (confused film ended up nowhere while trying to be everything), Jab Harry Met Sejal (except great music nothing worked for the film)

In 2020s he had 3 releases and while none of them was great, Jawan was still the better one followed by Pathaan and Dunki. I don't except King to be anything but fan service movie.

So I would prefer the early 2000s SRK

Why do Hindi films often have only two main characters, the hero and the villain?

 When a single megastar secures a film's funding, producers do not dilute their screen time with an ensemble cast. They clear the stage for one righteous hero and one towering villain.

While modern Bollywood has diversified into morally gray character studies, this strict binary dominated the industry for half a century, driven by a highly calibrated formula of modern economics and ancient storytelling traditions.

The deepest root of this binary lies in Indian mythology. Storytelling in the subcontinent is heavily influenced by the great epics, particularly the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

A 17th-century Udaipur painting depicting the armies of Rama clashing with the forces of Ravana, a mythological blueprint for good versus evil. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Ramayana provides the ultimate template for pure Good versus pure Evil, embodied by the duty-bound Lord Rama and the tyrannical demon king Ravana. For generations, audiences engaged with stories not to uncover moral ambiguity, but to witness a ritualistic reenactment of righteousness destroying wickedness. The classic Hindi film hero and villain were modern, secular translations of this mythological dynamic, satisfying a deep-seated cultural expectation for absolute moral clarity.

Beyond cultural traditions, the binary was enforced by the economics of the "star system." By the 1970s, the Hindi film industry was largely financed around the pulling power of single megastars like Amitabh Bachchan. To make the protagonist's inevitable triumph feel earned rather than easy, writers had to create antagonists of equal or greater magnitude—towering figures like Gabbar Singh, Mogambo, or Shakaal. The narrative space was intentionally hollowed out to give these two titans room to clash.

This dichotomy also provided profound socio-economic catharsis. In the post-independence decades, particularly during the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, working-class audiences faced systemic corruption, poverty, and institutional failure. They felt powerless against sprawling, faceless bureaucracy. The hero-villain structure condensed all of society's complex ills into a single, punchable face—a smuggler, a corrupt politician, or a cruel landlord. By reducing systemic oppression to one villain, the films allowed a singular hero to defeat the system with his bare hands, offering a visceral thrill that complex, multi-character realism could never provide.

What are some major mistakes of Bollywood films?

 Om Shanti Om (2007)

Om Shanti Om is a period reincarnation movie which continuously refers to the 70s in the first half even though most of the cinematic references don't match with the time period depicted in the film. The second half of the film deals with 2007 after 30 years, so it is safe to conclude that the film in the first half takes place in the year 1977–78. So the film starts with the shooting of Om Shanti Om of the film Karz going on. Now Karz was launched in the year 1978 on October 24th which means the film should be based in that year only.

But then in the very next scene, they show Govinda as a waiter struggling for films. Even though Govinda did started struggling at the age of 14–15 (he was not accepted for being to young). He went back and watched Saturday Night Fever, started dancing and recorded his VHS tapes all in the 80s. he actually started seriously hunting for films in the 80s only. Similarly the film shows Mithun Chakraborty in the premier of Dreamy Girl doing his signature dancing step. But Mithun started discovery dancing in the 80s only which became his signature style in 82.

Thirdly the film shows a young Sooraj Badjatya taking notes of the dialogue No sorry no thank you implying that he got the dialogue for his film Maine Pyar Kiya from there. But again Sooraj Badjatya was merely 13–14 years old in 1977–78 and character again seems to be from 80s and not 70s.

Fourth thing Om Prakash Makhija’s mother told him that she has was considered for the role of Madhubala in Mughal E Aazam but she was pregnant with him in the womb so she couldn't do the film. Now Madhubala was cast in Mughal E Aazam around 1952, when the film was started from scratch with a new cast and producer. So by this logic Om Prakash Makhija should have been 24–25 years old at max, but he was playing a 30 year old man which made no sense again.

What also didn't made sense was why Shreyas Talpade never got married even after so many decades? Why did the aatma of shantipriya waited 30 years to take revenge? In Madhumati the revenge process took immediately but in this film they waited for Om Kapoor to be reborn, become a big star and remember his previous birth at the age of 30 and then come for revenge.

Which films turned down by Bollywood stars which (of course) went on to become huge hits?

 As many mentioned almost everything so i will try to answer which are not listed by many…

Actor and Actress that rejected the films which became success at the box office.

1.Ajay Devgn

Sanjay leela Bansali approached him after his Iconic performance in “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” but he rejected due to the terms & Conditions of the director.

Ajay and sunny deol were the heroes in the Mind of rakesh roshan but due to clash of dates they step downed from this project.

First Ajay and next Aamir Rejected this film.

2. Kajol Devgn

She wanted to do the character same as hero's but the director didn't accepted it

Director approached her through a phone call but she rejected it.

She doesn't like concept of martial affair so she pinned down this project.

3.Saif Ali Khan

In Salman's role

4.Aamir khan

Aamir is the first to be approached in the role of sanjay dutt

Aamir Khan was offered the role of “Prakash” in the movie Josh though Aamir turned it down.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra fondly wanted to cast Aamir for the film as he had written the character of male lead role keeping Aamir in mind.

4.SRK

The role played by R. Madhavan of an Air force pilot was initially offered to Shahrukh Khan but Shahrukh didn’t take up the movie because he didn’t want to play a character secondary to Amir Khan.

Director went to Mannat to meet Shahrukh Khan for the movie, but Shahrukh Khan didn’t show up and the movie was eventually offered to Anil Kapoor.

The actor refused as he didn’t like the location of the shooting and at the same time and wanted to spend some time with his family.

Shahrukh Khan left the movie Robot because he wished to make some changes in the script and apparently S Shankar denied it.

5. Kangana Ranaut

She reportedly dropped this offer because of her busy shooting schedule.

Rejected As Sanjay's wife

6.Akshay Kumar

7.Varun Dhawan

8.Bobby Deol

9.Anushka Sharma

10. Madhuri Dixit

Pic's Source: Pinterest & Google

Which Malayalam actress has acted in Bollywood movies?

 List of Malayalam actress who has acted in Bollywood movies

1. Nayanthara

Nayanthara has debut in bollywood film Jawan starring Shahrukh Khan and Vijay Sethupathi

2. Asin Thottumkal

Though Malayali background, she is very popular in Tamil and Hindi films

She has acted with mega stars actor in Ghajini (2008) Aamir Khan, Ready (2011) Salman Khan and Khiladi 786 and Housefull 2 Akshay Kumar

3. Shobana

One of the versatile malayalam actress and also dancer Bharatanatyam in 90s time legendary . National award won actress, primarily known for her prolific work in Malayalam Tamil and Telugu cinema. However, she has made notable contributions to Hindi films throughout

In bollywood film industry, her debut film was Classic Amar Prem (1972) as a child artist

Other main lead as an adult actress Mitr My Friend (2002), Apna Asmaan (2007), Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008)

4. Parvathy Thiruvothu

Parvathy Thiruvothu has starred in two prominent Bollywood films: the romantic comedy Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017) and the mystery thriller Kadak Singh (2023)

5. Nithya Menon

(starred in Mission Mangal, 2018 space mission film, main lead actor Akshay Kumar

6. Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan was born in the Palakkad district of Kerala. However, she is of Tamil descent, belonging to a Tamil Brahmin (Palakkad Iyer) family, and was raised primarily in Mumbai. Her most of the films are bollywood films especially romantic and versatility role, content driven roles.

Her notable film Hamari Adhuri Kahani and Dirty Picture, Mission Mangal

7. Lena

Many of you might unnotice her, she has acted in Airlift (2016) starring Akshay Kumar, her role was Deepti Jayarajan

She portrayed the wife of George Kutty (played by Prakash Belawadi), a conservative and initially complaining Malayali expatriate couple trapped in war-torn Kuwait during the 1990 Gulf War.

Many outsider from other states do not know about Lena, but she is very popular in Malayalam film industry, known for supporting cast, brave character roles.

8. Malavika Mohanan

Malavika Mohanan debuted in Bollywood with Majid Majidi’s critically acclaimed film Beyond the Clouds (2017). She recently expanded her Hindi film presence with the action-thriller Yudhra (2024), where she starred alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi. She primarily acts in Tamil, Malayalam films.

8. Anaswara Rajan

She has acted in Yaariyan 2, main lead actress, She is just New Gen actress from Kerala and has Youth Fan base, Debuted in 2017, Malayalam film Udaharanam Sujatha. Anaswara Rajan has long way to go to showcase her acting skills,

9. Priya Prakas Varrier

Priya Prakash Varrier plays a character named Devi in the 2023 coming-of-age drama film Yaariyan 2, Hindi remake of the Malayalam hit Bangalore Days (2014)

10. Priyamani

Her notable Hindi projects include a key supporting role in Shah Rukh Khan's blockbuster Jawan (2023), a significant part in the true-story drama Maidaan (2024), and the critically praised film Article 370 (2024).

She has appeared in cameo song in Chennai Express Movie (2013)

11. Keerthy Suresh

Though leading Kollywood actress despite Malayali background Keerthy Suresh made her Bollywood debut in the action-thriller Baby John (2024), where she starred alongside Varun Dhawan. The film, which is an official remake of the Tamil hit Theri (2016)

12. Pearly Maaney

Pearle Maaney's only Bollywood movie is the 2020 dark comedy crime film Ludo Directed by Anurag Basu, she played the role of Sheeja Thomas in the film, starring alongside an ensemble cast that included Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, and Pankaj Tripathi. It released on Netflix.

She has acted in Several Malayalam film and other job profile is lyricist, television presenter.