JO JEETA WOHI SIKANDER
(He Who Wins is the Conquerer)




I just watched this 1992 Bollywood fillum, which features a young Aamir Khan in a early leading role.


He plays Sanjay Lal, the ne'er-do-well younger brother of favorite son Ratan. They and their father run a popular cafe in the hill station of Dehradun, which is dominated by several major universities. The locals or "townies" attend lowly Model College, where Ratan is a top athlete and Khan is always causing trouble. They are in constant rivalry with Rajput College for girls from Queens College and for the inter-college Sports Cup; the rich kids always win.

There are a few plot points are borrowed from the 1979 American blockbuster Breaking Away - such as the big bicycle race at the end that pits the townie against the pampered rich university jock (and his dirty tricks), and Sanjay pretending to be a rich kid to woo the out-of-reach university girl. There's also an awesome dance competition. The fashion, music, etc. is very 80s.


Interestingly, one of the songs contains several bars from The Who's "Pinball Wizard." Plus there's a scene in the video above lifted from “The Seven Year Itch.” (Apparently the song, "Pehla Nasha," was the first filmi song to be shot entirely in slow motion).

Another side note: Aamir Khan plays a college kid in the latest Bollywood blockbuster, Three Idiots - which is currently playing at Piper's Alley in Chicago.

Not bad for a 44-year-old.


You can watch the entire fillum here: