Saugandh
25th January 1991
Novelty Cinema, Mumbai
Average grosser.
Directed by Raj (Daddu) Sippy, the 1991 released Saugandh marked the debut of Akshay Kumar who had made a ten seconds uncredited appearance in Mahesh Bhatt’s Aaj (1988) a couple of years before. The chef cum martial arts trainer in Bangkok was discovered by noted director Pramod Chakraborty who promptly signed him for his film Deedar (1992) which got a bit delayed and enabled Saugandh to hit the marquèe first.
A mix of Taming of the Shrew meets Romeo and Juliet; Saugandh had Akshay Kumar and Shantipriya playing the lovers who are torn in to the age old enemity between Rakhee and Mukesh Khanna. In fact, the confrontation scenes between Rakhee and Khanna were the film’s highlight. Anand Milind’s music was also a positive factor with “Laila ko bhool jaayenge” rising up the popularity charts.
Shantipriya got a meaty role and was completely convincing in her transformation from a rugged tomboy to a coy ‘bhartiya naari’. An impressive performance indeed!! Surprisingly, it was Akshay who looked too raw and amateur though his screen presence was towering even then. Interestingly, his introduction scene starts with him walking inverted on his hands before he leaps up and we see his face for the first time. Rakhee and Mukesh Khanna had the ‘ceetimaar’ punchlines and they didn’t disappoint.
Saugandh would’ve probably done better had it not clashed with Amitabh Bachchan’s Hum (1991) which released a week later and completely stormed the box office leaving no space for other movies.
I had seen Saugandh at Citylight Cinema, Matunga where it had done decent business. I came out having mixed feelings for the debutant actor least expecting he would be the superstar of the coming decades. Speaks volumes of his hard work and perseverance. Kudos Akshay!!
– Sumeet Nadkarni
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