When Hrithik Roshan shook up Khans and Amitabh Bachchan reinvented himself on TV

A new millennium, a new Bollywood. The year 2000 wasn’t just a date on the calendar — it was a cultural pivot that redrew the map of Indian entertainment. As the film industry stood between nostalgia and a new age of storytelling, two moments defined the year: the birth of a fresh superstar and the rebirth of an old one.

When Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai released, it wasn’t just another love story. It was a cinematic supernova. Hrithik Roshan — a name unknown to the box office till then — exploded into the public imagination with Rakesh Roshan’s glossy debut vehicle. The film swept the nation off its feet, turning a star son into a national sensation.

Hrithik’s arrival was electric. His effortless rhythm, fluid dance moves, and clean-cut charm made him the millennial heartthrob Bollywood didn’t know it was waiting for. In one film, he went from anonymity to becoming the man who dared to challenge the Khans — Aamir, Shah Rukh, and Salman — who had dominated the 1990s.

But the magic of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai proved hard to replicate. Despite blockbusters like Koi... Mil Gaya and Krrish, Hrithik never quite dethroned the Khan triumvirate. As 2025 arrives, he remains a top-tier star — but no longer the industry’s storm. Ironically, the actor who embodied the big-screen dream now urges fans to stream War 2 on Netflix — a poetic nod to cinema’s changing tides.

And while Bollywood’s screens shimmered with new faces, television had its own revolution brewing. Star TV struck gold twice over with Kaun Banega Crorepati and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

For Amitabh Bachchan, KBC wasn’t just a show — it was salvation. The megastar, after political missteps and box-office droughts, found his second act on the small screen. With his dignified charm, deep baritone, and the unforgettable “Deviyon aur sajjanon,” Bachchan reintroduced himself as the wise mentor of middle India. Decades later, he’s still there — hosting, laughing, guiding — as children born in the 2000s now test him with trivia.

Meanwhile, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi redefined Indian television itself. Ekta Kapoor’s sprawling family saga became an instant phenomenon, ushering in the “K-serial” era of scheming in-laws, lavish sets, and endless melodrama. The show’s success was both a boon and a bane — captivating millions even as it buried the more experimental TV dramas of the ’90s like Swabhimaan, Shanti, and Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.

Today, as both KBC and Kyunki… live on in new avatars, their legacy endures. Viral clips of Smriti Irani chatting with Bill Gates or a sharp-witted kid stumping Bachchan are reminders of how those early-2000s seeds continue to shape pop culture in 2025.

A quarter century later, we look back not just at the films that ruled the box office, but the moments that changed what we watched, how we watched, and why we still care.

2001 — the year when Bollywood faced heartbreak, heroism, and history. The party, as they say, abhi toh shuru hui hai.