1 The perfect family
A lot of films in the 1990s were action dramas with guns, gore and blood. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun..! (HAHK), with its simplicity and clean family fun stood out. There was no plotting against others, no property battles - just a family, including servants and a pet dog, who loved each other and lived in peace.
2 Tuffy the courageous dog
This spunky little furball not only multitasked as Cupid, a cricket umpire and the fashionista of the family, he also had the sense to deliver the letter to the right person at the end of the movie - a feat that not a single human (among the hundreds in the film) could accomplish.
3 The songs
There were 14 songs in this film which, spread over a running time of three hours, makes for a lot of song and dance. From
Maye Ni Maye
and
Wah Wah Raamji
to
Didi Tera Devar Deewana
, they are all hummable and the choreography was flawless. Who can forget Madhuri Dixit shimmying in splendid outfits?
4 The purple sari
It spawned a million copies as women in India rushed to their nearest tailor to get one of their own.
Note: The poster of Madhuri wearing the sari can still be found in beauty salons across India.
5 The wedding scenes
This film showcased the big fat Indian wedding in all its glory, before Karan Johar took over and made it more sophisticated with designer outfits and snazzy locations. From the mounds of sweers to all the antakshari (sing-offs), the wedding in this film hit closer to home for a large section of the population.
6 Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit
There was a bit of a role-reversal here: Khan was the coy one, Dixit was feisty, and they went about their their romance without a single kiss.
7. The lack of villains
The film didn't have a single baddie - except for a staircase. Every Hindi film has a villain, but this one didn't. The only thing that went wrong was Renuka Shahane's untimely death after falling down the stairs.
8 The middle-class god-fearing family struck a chord with the Indian masses
While Alok Nath's family was rich, Anupam Kher plays a middle-class professor in the film. Neither of the families had any airs about them and displayed "good Indian values" such as praying every day, being respectful to their elders and being there for their families. It ticked all the right boxes and given that a majority of the Indian population (at least in the 1990s) belonged to the middle class, the film got their seal of approval.
9 The cricket
If there's anything Indians love as much as movies and weddings, it's cricket. The sports scenes were short but fun - and got extra brownie points for having a dog as the umpire.
10 The ensemble cast
Mohnish Behl, Reema Lagoo, Alok Nath, Anupam Kher, Bindu, Ajit Vachani and Satish Shah were the most prominent members of the ensemble cast, and they shine in their roles. Shahane - who steals the show as the sweet daughter-in-law who believes in educating the poor, takes care of the family from dawn to dusk and then dies a bizarre death - deserves a special mention.
ajhurani@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Read more from Johann Chacko
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
