Career
Sooraj Barjatya began his career as an assistant director to Mahesh Bhatt. Barjatya followed it with the box-office hit and trend setter Hum Aapke Hain Koun.!. Considered by critics and Barjatya himself as his best work to date, the film became one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market and at the domestic box office.
In 1999, Barjatya directed the commercially and critically successful cult film Hum Saath-Saath Hain.
In 2006, Barjatya directed and produced the box-office hit and trend setter Vivah, which established Shahid Kapoor as the leading actor in Bollywood. He is the current chairman of India"s 67-year-old multi-national film, media and entertainment conglomerate, Rajshri Productions.
Barjatya has directed and produced some of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time and has produced three other films that have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of more than ₹2 billion (United States$30 million). Sooraj Barjatya was born in a Marwari family in Mumbai.
He attended Saint Mary"s School, Mumbai & The Scindia School in Gwalior.
He made his directorial debut with Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) starring Salman Khan which was a huge box office hit and launched both his and Salman"s careers. He teamed up with Salman again for Hum Aapke Hain Koun.! (1994) which became one of the highest all-time blockbusters and Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999) which was a huge hit as well. His fourth film was Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon starring Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan and his last film was Vivah (2006) starring Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao, which has proved to be one of the biggest blockbusters in his career.
He has named the lead actor of all his movies "Prem".
He is a trendsetter and ushered in an era of family based themes in Indian cinema. He had said in an interview that "Ours was a joint Marwari family and I grew up witnessing grand functions and wedding ceremonies in the family.
The opulence shown in my films is based on my impressions as a child". Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun.!, Sooraj Barjatya"s two consecutive blockbusters, are still placed among the top ten most successful films of the last 80 years.
Vivah proved to be one of the biggest grossers of 2006, having celebrated a silver jubilee run at 25 centers across the country.
The film was nominated for more than 15 awards. In 2015, starring Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor, his film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo was released which was a commercial succes. lieutenant was released in diwali celebrations.