If we take a look at the Bollywood of 90s and early 2000s, it was buzzing with grand action — romantic films, heroes fought villains for love and audiences loved every bit of it. But quietly, a few comedy films tried to do something different. They didn’t make much noise at the box office, yet their wit and quirky humour found a loyal audience over time.
Years later, these films turned into cult classics, quoted endlessly, shared through memes and celebrated for their timeless fun. Among them, four movies truly stood out — Andaz Apna Apna, Deewane Huye Paagal, Khosla Ka Ghosla and Dhol.
1. Andaz Apna Apna:
Let’s start with Andaz Apna Apna, the comedy legend released on November 4, 1994. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, it featured an incredible ensemble — Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor, Biju Khote and Paresh Rawal.
Despite being made on a modest budget of Rs 2 crore and earning around Rs 8 crore globally, the film was considered a flop at the time. Its humour was way ahead of what audiences were used to. But as years passed, people began to realise how special it was. Today, lines like “Teja main hoon, mark idhar hai” are part of pop culture and movie buffs can still watch it on repeat. Interestingly, it was the only movie to feature both Aamir Khan and Salman Khan together and the actresses used their real names for their characters.
2. Deewane Huye Paagal:
By the early 2000s, comedy found a new rhythm, especially with director Priyadarshan creating his own style of chaos-filled humour. Around this time came Deewane Huye Paagal in 2005, directed by Vikram Bhatt. The film starred Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Shahid Kapoor, Rimi Sen, Johnny Lever, Vijay Raaz and Suresh Menon.
With such a strong lineup, expectations were high. However, it didn’t perform well at the box office. Still, its goofy jokes and energetic performances made it unforgettable. Over time, fans rediscovered it and today, moments from the film are viral meme material, proof of how well it aged.
3. Khosla Ka Ghosla:
Then came Khosla Ka Ghosla in 2006, a small film with a big heart. Directed by Dibakar Banerjee and written by Jaideep Sahni, it told a story that every middle-class Indian could relate to, a man’s fight to reclaim his dream home from a scheming property dealer. Made on just Rs 3.5 crore, the film featured Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Parveen Dabas, Vinay Pathak, Tara Sharma and Ranvir Shorey.
Without any big stars, no one wanted to buy or release it and it stayed unreleased for nearly two years. But once it hit theatres, word of mouth did the magic. Every character felt real, every scene authentic. It even went on to win the National Award for Best Feature Film and remains a shining example of simple storytelling done right.
4. Dhol:
Finally, in 2007, came Dhol, another Priyadarshan comedy that many people remember from TV reruns. With Tusshar Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Khemu, Rajpal Yadav and Tanushree Dutta in lead roles, the film mixed humour with a mystery plot. Made on a budget of about Rs 14 crore, it earned around Rs 23 crore, just an average success then.
However, over time, its funny moments and relatable characters turned it into yet another cult favourite. There is a fun fact about it — Dhol was a remake of a 1990 Malayalam film and had already inspired a Bollywood version in 1992 titled Parda Hai Parda.
These four films, each different in tone and style, proved one thing — true comedy doesn’t age. It might take years to be appreciated but when it finally finds its audience, it stays forever.
