Madhoo and Aravind Swami’s Roja completes 30 years

Roja, released in 1992, was the beginning of a new era in Indian cinema; it made, transformed careers, broke new ground, and has stood the test of time. The film, which was released on August 15, 1992, is now three decades old. The film, directed by Mani Ratnam and produced by K Balachander, starred Aravind Swami and Madhoo in the lead roles and marked AR Rahman’s debut as a composer.

The film catapulted Aravind Swami, Madhoo, and AR Rahman into overnight stardom and laid the groundwork for their budding careers at the time. Roja is a story about the titular character and her valiant efforts to find her husband after he is kidnapped by militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Nasser, Janagaraj, and Pankaj Kapur all played important roles.

Sharing her happiness about the important occasion, the film’s lead actress Madhoo shared a video on social media. “On this wonderful day, my film Roja is completing 30 years. I am very happy, proud, humbled and privileged to have been a part of it. Congratulations to the entire Roja team and thank you Mani Ratnam, K Balachander sir and audiences,” she said. “AR Rahman deserves immense credit for the music and I am grateful to Aravind Swami for being a wonderful co-actor. On this day, without any reason, any excuse, let’s celebrate life,” Madhoo added.

Madhoo never had to look back as an actor after Roja. Roja went on to win three National Awards, two Filmfare Awards, five Tamil Nadu State Awards, and numerous international accolades. The Roja lead couple reunited once more for Thalaivii, the biopic of actor-politician Jayalalithaa. Roja is currently available to watch on ZEE5, MX Player, and YouTube.