20 Years of Ek Aur Ek Gyarah EXCLUSIVE: “We used to provide different type of performance then,” recalls Ashish Vidyarthi : Bollywood News

The pair of filmmaker David Dhawan and actor Govinda in the 1990s and early 2000s created a number of comedies that are remembered even today. Films like Raja Babu, Hero No. 1, Coolie No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural, Deewana Mastana, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, etc, succeed in tickling our funny bone even today when we come across them on TV.

20 Years of Ek Aur Ek Gyarah EXCLUSIVE: “We used to provide different type of performance then,” recalls Ashish Vidyarthi

David Dhawan also brought the pair of Govinda and Sanjay Dutt together successfully in films like Haseena Maan Jayegi, Jodi No. 1 and Ek Aur Ek Gyarah.

Today marks 20 years for Ek Aur Ek Gyarah. Produced by Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts, the film saw Govinda and Dutt play two good-hearted conmen Tara and Sitara who are forced to run away from baddies Cobra (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Panther (Gulshan Grover) after entering their bad books. Tara and Sitara take temporary refuge in the bungalow owned by Major Ram Singh (Jackie Shroff) and his family. But they are soon required to face their demons in unexpected ways.

On the film’s 20^th anniversary, Ashish Vidyarthi, who played one of the baddies in the film named Cobra, told Bollywood Hungama while going down memory lane, “It (Ek Aur Ek Gyarah) was an extraordinary experience. When Ek Aur Ek Gyarah was being made, at that time we used to provide a different kind of performance. It had slapstick comedy, and the story moved ahead with this type of comedy.”

Highlighting the special requirements of baddies in such David Dhawan movies, he added. “You are a villain, but you also need to do comedy. All these films are close to my heart. Today when people come to me and praise my work for these films, I feel like, oh we did some good work back then. It’s a great feeling.”

Vidyarthi is also all praise for the experience of working with Govinda and Sanjay Dutt in the bygone era. “It was amazing,” he said. “I did a lot of films with them in that period. I also played Vitthal Kanya (in Vaastav) with Sanjay Dutt. There are lovely memories.”

Throughout his career, Vidyarthi has acted in hardcore serious films and at the same time not shied away from doing mindless comedies with the likes of David Dhawan. He tells us that doing diverse type of roles is important for him as an actor. “I always feel that every time an actor has to keep showing his different avatars. I am very happy that I am able to do that,” he said.

In a 20-year-old pre-release interview with Rediff, Govinda had spoken about the chances of Ek Aur Ek Gyarah working. He had said, “A lot depends on how Subhashji promotes the film and how the audience receives it. I would say David has recaptured the likable quality of his early films like Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen in Ek Aur Ek Gyarah. I think it will work. We have no more films on the floor. He kept re-working the script and re-editing the film. He is very sincere. You know, when I saw Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen, I did not anticipate that they would become such hits. They looked like B-plus projects.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Ashish Vidyarthi has a message for casting directors; says, “Main zinda hoon dost, don’t wait for me to die”