The trend of multi-starrer films started in Bollywood in the 1970s. Such films often performed well at the box office. There were several multi-starrer films that failed to make an impact and incurred massive losses for the producers. In 2002, one such film starring 22 stars failed at the box office and it ended the career of some actors forever. We are talking about the multi-starrer film Jaani Dushman, directed by Raj Kumar Kohli. The film was produced on a budget of Rs 18 crore, but reportedly grossed only Rs 11 crore at the box office. The film featured a star cast including Arshad Warsi, Sonu Nigam, Aditya Pancholi, Raj Babbar, Armaan Kohli, Manisha Koirala, Sharad Kapoor, Siddharth Ray, Rajat Bedi, Rambha, Kiran Rathod, Pinky Campbell, Aftab Shivdasani, Amrish Puri, Johnny Lever, Upasana Singh, Aman Verma and Shahbaz Khan. Armaan Kohli was also seen in the film as ‘Ichchhadhari Naag’ and the whole film revolved around him.
Sonu Nigam started his acting career with this film. The film flopped at the box office and Sonu was never seen again as an actor in any other project. Jaani Dushman marked the end of the film career of Rajkumar Kohli, who retired after the film’s failure at the box office. Rajkumar Kohli had tried to merge the storylines of previous successful films, Jaani Dushman and Nagin, believing that the combination would result in a blockbuster. Unfortunately, the result was the exact opposite and the film was a major disappointment.
This film not only incurred significant losses for the filmmaker but also damaged the careers of several actors including Armaan Kohli, Siddharth Ray, Rajat Bedi, Rambha, Kiran Rathod, Pinky Campbell and Aftab Shivdasani.
The film was Armaan Kohli’s comeback film, in which he was introduced under the new name Munish Kohli. Before its release, the film generated a lot of buzz for its innovative special effects, which were uncommon in the industry at the time. It was also the first film to feature both Akshay Kumar and Sunny Deol, two major action stars of the previous decade, although they did not have any scenes together.
Upon its release, the film received mostly negative reviews and was a box office failure. Critics criticised a poorly executed story, illogical scenes and miscasting, particularly the use of older actors as college students.
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