क़यामत से क़यामत तक
Qayamat se qayamat tak ("From the beginning of time until the end" or "From calamity to calamity") introduced Indian filmgoers to two young actors who went on to become two of the biggest stars of their era - Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla. It did more than that; it ended an era of violent, action-oriented films and launched the modern romance revival that propelled the careers of a number of actors with dashing hero appeal, like Aamir, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan - along with their heroines, like Juhi, Madhuri Dixit, and Kajol. For that reason, some observers draw the line between the "classic" and "modern" Hindi films at Qayamat se qayamat tak.
So much for the academic value of the film. It's also an entertaining masala romance with a story that carries echoes of Romeo and Juliet. At the opening of the film, two families (both called Singh - the families of Dhanraj Singh and Randhir Singh) plunge into a bitter feud when a girl from Dhanraj's family becomes pregnant by a boy from Randhir's family; one suicide and one murder later, the families are sworn to eternal enmity. Cut to the next generation; Raj (Aamir), Dhanraj's son, meets Randhir's daughter Rashmi (Juhi). They fall in love, and must square off against their families' attempts to inculcate them into the religion of the family feud.
The story isn't much, but Qayamat se qayamat tak is carried by the fresh young charm of its stars. Aamir is cute, and has not yet developed the studied goofiness that characterizes his later roles - even in his starmaking turn in the film's first song, "Papa kehte hain," his hero-legs seem a little unsteady. That greenness suits the character of Raj quite well, as Raj, like Aamir, is asserting his own character for the first time. Juhi, meanwhile, presents Rashmi with a mischief that is reminiscent of Hema Malini. The most charming feature of Rashmi is her aggressive flirtatiousness - she takes a shine to Raj and pursues him relentlessly, yet innocently, and in these sequences Juhi is truly a joy to watch. Particularly delightful is the song "Gazab ka hai din," in which Raj and Rashmi are lost in the woods. Raj is all seriousness as he searches for the road - but Rashmi, enjoying their secluded time together, mischeivously thwarts his efforts at orienteering. The most concise praise I can offer for Qayamat se qayamat tak is that it made a Juhi Chawla fan out of me.
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