21 years of Aankhen: A successful directorial debut of Vipul Shah

Still from `Aankhen`

Vipul Shah's directorial debut, 'Aankhen' fronted by Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal, and Sushmita Sen, has completed 21 years of its release today. While today the film is a huge success, back then nobody really believed in the story.

Yet today, 'Aankhen' is one of the most unique, well-written, and exceptionally directed films. Not only was 'Aankhen' a remarkable debut for Vipul Shah, a debut which filmmakers can only dream of, but it also introduced a new scope of storytelling in Indian cinema.

As 'Aankhen' marks 21 years since it was released, it certainly is an interesting time to bring the film and its much un-discussed open endings to light. The film had two endings, while the makers were unsure if the Indian audience would accept the ending with a hint of a sequel, they released a separate ending overseas and a different one in India.

Also read: Abhishek Banerjee joins Amitabh Bachchan's upcoming courtroom drama 'Section 84'

'Aankhen' rendered a new manner of making films in Indian cinema. It was hard for the audience to believe that Amitabh Bachchan was the antagonist, and Akshay Kumar had no heroine in the film, and the industry had its bets that the film would not work. Regardless of any faith in the film, 'Aankhen' did wonders when it was released as it became the second highest-grossing Bollywood film in 2002 and viewers loved the concept of the film.

Meanwhile, Vipul Amrutlal Shah is one of the most sought-after filmmakers we have seen in the last few decades. The director has delivered some of the biggest hits the industry has seen with films like ‘Namaste London', ‘Commando', ‘Force' amongst many others. Currently Vipul Shah is gearing continuing Commando franchise on OTT, which is happening for the first time in Indian entertainment industry.