Celebrate Amrita Rao's birthday! Stream actor's iconic films on OTT
Celebrate Amrita Rao's birthday by enjoying a marathon of her best movies, from Ishq Vishk to Vivah.
Jun 07, 2024
Amrita Rao/Instagram
Amrita Rao, whose charisma and performances have won fans for two decades, turns a year older on June 7. Why not celebrate her birthday by watching her iconic films—available on several streaming services—in one sitting? With a career spanning from her breakthrough part in Ishq Vishk to moving performances in Vivah and Main Hoon Na Amrita has demonstrated her versatility in romantic comedies, biographical dramas, and sociopolitical stories. These flicks showcase her talent and the timeless charm she brings to the screen, whether you're a long-time fan or just discovering her work.
Streaming now: These are a few of Amrita Rao's best flicks.
The Legend of Bhagat Singh (Prime Video; ShemarooMe and Lionsgate Play [OTTplay Premium])
Rajkumar Santoshi directed the biographical period film The Legend of Bhagat Singh in 2002. The film's hero, Bhagat Singh, was a revolutionary who, along with his fellow Hindustan Socialist Republican Association members, fought for India's independence. Notable actors Sushant Singh, Akhilendra Mishra, and D. Santosh co-star with Ajay Devgan, who plays the title role. Raj Babbar, Farida Jalal, and Amrita Rao, who plays Bhagat's fiancée Mannewali, fill supporting roles. Beginning with his childhood, when he was a witness to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the film follows Singh's life until his execution by hanging on March 23, 1931, before his official trial.
The year 1907 was Bhagat Singh's birth year in British India. Mahatma Gandhi's appeal to initiate the non-cooperation movement when he was a child inspired Bhagat Singh. However, when Gandhi decided to end the movement, he disappointed the thousands of people who had responded by burning British-made garments and quitting school, college, and government employment. Following the brutal beating of Lala Lajpat Rai by the police, Bhagat, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev, and others fearlessly murdered a police officer named Saunders. After putting him in jail, the cops brutally beat and tormented him.
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Ishq Vishk (Prime Video; ShemarooMe and Lionsgate Play [OTTplay Premium])
Ken Ghosh directed the romantic comedy film Ishq Vishk in 2003. Starring with Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala is Shahid Kapoor, who made his Bollywood debut. Payal (Rao) and Rajiv (Kapoor) are two childhood friends who are the centre of the film. Over the years of their friendship, Payal develops romantic affections for Rajiv but remains oblivious to her thoughts. The film was a surprise success, catapulting the careers of Kapoor and Rao.
The story follows two childhood friends, Rajiv (Shahid Kapoor) and Payal (Amrita Rao). Payal develops a deep affection for Rajiv, yet he takes his time to return her feelings. A carefree young college student, he resolves to be conditionally steady with her in order to gain permission to go on an outing. Payal welcomes him and accompanies him. During the outing, he becomes intoxicated and tries to molest her, which prompts her to decide to dump him. Rajiv's subsequent advances focus on the stunning Alisha Sahay (Treasurywala). But will she follow Payal's example of laxity? Can we expect Rajiv to take Payal seriously again?
Masti (JioCinema; Prime Video)
Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Lara Dutta, Amrita Rao, Tara Sharma, and Genelia D'Souza feature in Indra Kumar's Masti a 2004 crime comedy. The film was well-received by critics and audiences upon its 2004 release. In the film, even though Amar, Prem, and Meet are all unfaithful, they wind up in prison and face murder charges. Unless their wives intervene, Inspector Sikander will not exonerate them. What are the wives of the three accused going to do?
Main Hoon Na (Netflix)
Directed by Farah Khan and produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment, Main Hoon Na is a masala film from 2004. Along with Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Suniel Shetty, Amrita Rao, and Zayed Khan, the film also features Kirron Kher, Murali Sharma, Kabir Bedi, Boman Irani, and Naseeruddin Shah. This is Farah Khan's first feature film as a director. In order to prevent a dangerous renegade soldier (Shetty) from harming the general's daughter (Rao), the film sends Major Ram Prasad Sharma (SRK) on a clandestine operation while he pretends to be a college student.
Major Ram Prasad Sharma's deepest desire is to witness the completion of Project Milap, a monumental undertaking. This expedition may finally put an end to the long-simmering animosity between the two nations. However, there are forces that will do whatever it takes to ensure the mission fails. Among them is Raghavan, who is determined to foil the plan at all costs. This is why General Amarjeet Bakshi's (Bedi) daughter Sanjana is in grave danger; his malevolent presence casts a long shadow over her. Ram Prasad, a fellow student at her school, protects Sanjana.
Vivah (ZEE5 [OTTplay Premium]; Prime Video; Lionsgate Play [OTTplay Premium])
Sooraj R. Barjatya wrote and directed the 2006 romance drama Vivah. Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao are joined by Anupam Kher, Alok Nath, Seema Biswas, Samir Soni, and Lata Sabharwal in this production venture by Rajshri Productions. In Vivah, we follow two couples as they go through the stages of engagement, marriage, and the years following.
Anupam Kher portrays Harishchandra, a widower caring for his two boys, Prem (Shahid Kapoor) and Sunil (Samir Soni). Sunil gets married when they're older, but Prem studies further until he meets Poonam (Amrita Rao), who lost both of her parents when she was a child. The young couple plans their wedding after some clumsy first encounters, which eventually blossom into feelings. A terrible event, however, casts doubt on everything following Prem's return from a business trip to Japan.
Welcome to Sajjanpur (Prime Video [on rent])
Shyam Benegal directed the 2008 comedy Welcome to Sajjanpur starring Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Rao as the leads. There aren't many educated young men from Sajjanpur, but Mahadev stands out. He wishes he could write novels, but for now, he's content to sit by the post office and make a living by penning letters. The town's mostly illiterate populace looks up to him because of his compelling letter-writing skills. He swiftly makes use of his ability to influence the town's mostly illiterate residents after becoming aware of his power. Once he realises he has this ability, he starts using it to influence others, which can lead to both hilarious and embarrassing outcomes. Welcome to Sajjanpur uses this as a jumping-off point for a story that is both funny and sad, told through music and comedy. The film is a fun and sarcastic look at a modern Indian village.
Jolly LLB (Disney+ Hotstar)
Subhash Kapoor wrote and directed Jolly LLB a courtroom drama and dark comedy film from 2013. It stars Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Amrita Rao, and Saurabh Shukla. With an indirect reference to the Priyadarshini Mattoo case, the plot is based on the 1999 hit-and-run case of Sanjeev Nanda.
A modest lawyer from Meerut named Jagdish Tyagi (Arshad Warsi), better known as Jolly, has high hopes of becoming a famous lawyer. He relocates his business to Delhi Court, following his heart. Eventually, he decides to file a PIL in response to a high-profile hit-and-run case involving the wealthy scion of a prominent family. He faces off against the renowned and cunning lawyer Tejinder Rajpal (Boman Irani). Jolly will come to terms with the fact that this lawsuit will demand more of him than he had anticipated, while Tejinder will exhaust all possible legal avenues in his pursuit of a dismissal of the petition. Saurabh Shukla's character, Judge Tripathi, is gleefully observing the unfolding events. Tripathi is plump and unassuming on the outside, but he has a wealth of knowledge on the inside. A heartwarming social satire, Jolly LLB will have you laughing out loud!
Satyagraha (ZEE5 [OTTplay Premium]; Prime Video [on rent])
Prakash Jha helmed the 2013 political drama Satyagraha which featured Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Rampal, Amrita Rao, Manoj Bajpayee, and Vipin Sharma among its main actors. A son's longing for a father figure is central to Satyagraha. Also shown in the novel is the anguish a father goes through after losing his son. The story centres on a young woman whose struggles with life are so great that she fails to express her love. The story centres on an ambitious individual whose focus is squarely on taking action. The story begins when these four people cross paths and then goes on to detail how they band together to cause mayhem, shaking the foundations of the powerful forces that be! However, Satyagraha also tells the tale of a powerful ruler who is plotting their downfall and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
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