Much ahead of its time, in the multi-layered backdrop of teenage yearning and aspirations, of silent, unrequited and failed romances, of the angst stemming from class divides between the haves and have-nots, Khan recreates the world of Archie comics in an Indian avatar, sans any artificial pompoms and cheerleaders. Be it Sanju’s (Aamir Khan) laziness, Anjali’s (Ayesha Jhulka) silent love, Shekhar’s (Deepak Tijori) competitiveness, Devika’s (Pooja Bedi) flirtatiousness, Ratan’s (Mamik Khan) dreams to make his father’s dreams come true or Ramlal’s (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) determination to bring glory to his son’s ambitions, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
While the film redefined the generation, and set many motivational examples for the youth on how to plan their lives and destinies, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar was also widely applauded for its music which was composed by music director duo Jatin-Lalit. Songs like Pehla Nasha and Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar became anthems amongst the youth, and continues to be audience favourites even today!
Lead actor Ayesha Jhulka said, “The cool school vibe was very fresh, very electrifying and it was very naughty. Since it was a movie about school and we were barely out of school, we were very bubbly, cheerful and not very serious towards what we were doing but it turned out to be serious because eventually we were under a principal and school teachers which was of course our director and producer. It was is a wonderful memory, I don’t think that everybody gets the chance that I have been lucky, in fact all of us associated with Jo Jeeta Wohi Sinkandar; have been lucky in getting.
There have been so many memories. I think every day of our shoot was a memory in itself. We have some lovely moments with the dance and the song sequence. Madhav Kishan ji would scold us while shooing the song Sheher Ki Pariyon ke and then Pehla Nasha was a very good experience as far as the songs were concerned. Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar was just awesome because there was a scene where I just pull up my sleeves and go for the opposite party, it was so tom boyish.”
Pooja Bedi who played the antagonist in the movie said, “We were behaving like teenagers in a movie where we had to be teenagers and it was one of the most memorable films in life because till today I have been remembered for that scene where I stand on top of the car in Pehla Nasha, my red dress flies up. So that was very very memorable for me. And that’s something that I have never forgotten and neither will the people of India ever let me forget because whenever they meet me, that’s the one thing they always bring up.
In fact getting that red dress to fly in itself was an episode. Two years ago, when Farah Khan, Aamir and all of us met at MAMI we discussed that sequence. Farah talked about how it was just impossible and how every time they would put the fan on, just the back of my dress would fly up and my red thong which I had worn below would be shown and how it was terribly funny for everyone on the sets. There was just one usable shot out of the hours that we spent trying to make that dress fly and finally we got to capture it in the red dress flying Marilyn Monroe scene.
And of course, on the sets we had a lot of fun, we would be playing games and go hoping, pull the chair from underneath when the person was about to sit down and play pranks on each other all the time. We were happy-go-lucky all the time because everybody was so young and energetic and that reflected in the film. That’s also because of the people we were even off-screen.”
Supporting actor, Deepak Tijori said, “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar has been one of my most memorable journey. It’s like you have been wanting something so badly but then you almost reach the auditions, and not make it. It hurts when you get rejected but that pain and rejection was all worth it when you get called in directly to play the role that you auditioned for and got rejected earlier.
Yeah it was almost like taking a double somersault when I was asked to meet Mansoor Khan. This was brought to me by none other than my mentor Mahesh Bhatt - who got back from Ooty and gave me the news of where I was asked to meet Mansoor. In fact they had shot 75% of the film and I was replacing Milind Soman, who was initially cast and shot for the same role. Finally I was happy that I was part of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar and I am thankful to Aamir Khan for the same, as I hear it was his suggestion to bring me on board. Rest is history - We are today thankfully celebrating 25 yrs of this Movie and I remain thankful to the audience, along with all the names that I mentioned earlier, to have made me a significant part of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.”
Music Director, Lalit Pandit shared his experience of composing songs for the movie, “The music of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander was created in a very energetic, happy and a carefree atmosphere. That was the reflection of the music in the film. It was energetic, it was youthful and absolutely a fresh kind of melody even at that time. It sounded very futuristic just like the film. It was absolutely memorable for both me and Jatin. We created the music in Mansoor Khan and Nasir Hussain’s farm house in Mandva, we stayed there for long to create this music. Every week or month we worked on it without being time-bound. We were free to work whenever we liked, we sat together with Mansoor Khan and made this beautiful, unforgettable music for a very iconic film whose music is timeless. People cannot forget the songs that were created including the romantic number ‘Pehla Nash’a’. It’s been a milestone in the career of Jatin-Lalit and it has been an unforgettable experience to work in Nasir Hussain’s production for Mansoor Khan’s iconic film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander.”
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’s story revolves around the biggest sporting event for a school town – an annual cycling race. Schools and colleges in the town range from the highly prestigious Rajput College, moderately rich-kid schools like Xavier's College and Queens College, and the relatively humble Model College. While Sanju (Aamir Khan) is an irresponsible brat from Model college, he dreams of making it big and often lies about his financial status. On one such instance, taking his childhood friend Anjali’s (Ayesha Jhulka) help, Sanju impresses Queen’s College’s Devika (Pooja Bedi). This leads to a rivalry between Sanju and Rajput College’s Shekhar (Deepak Tijori), because the latter also harbors feelings for Devika. This rivalry intensifies when an unfortunate accident injures Sanju’s brother Ratan (Mamik Singh), forcing Sanju to take complete responsibility of bringing home the glorious sports trophy.
Will Sanju be able to live up to his brother’s legacy when forced to step in? Will he ever notice Ayesha’s unrequited love?
~ To find out, tune in to watch Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar on Monday, 1st January, 2018 at 8 PM only on &pictures ~