Children who beat superstars

Makdee is the story of a witch who is rumored to turn children into animals if they wandered into her villa. Even though the film starred heavyweights like Shabana Azmi and Makrand Deshpande, the real show stealer was Shweta Prasad. She showed the world that age is only a number and a child can stand up to anyone through the sheer power of talent. She not only matched the histrionics of these two stars, but also outdid them. And she had not one, but a double role. She also scored on the popularity charts with her brilliant role. Shweta returned to the screen three years later in the critically-acclaimed Nagesh Kukunoor movie Iqbal, where she played sister and confidante to her deaf and mute brother, played by Shreyas Talpade.

This Rakesh Roshan film saw today's superstar Shah Rukh Khan alongside Jackie Shroff. But a little kiddo outshone the hunks. Pooja Ruparel, who later went on to do the unforgettable role of Chutki, Kajol's younger sister in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, was the star of this film. Inspired by the bollywood movieAnnie, King Uncle is all about an orphan girl being mistaken for a boy and how she changes the life of her poker-up-the-ass benefactor.
Pooja connected instantly with millions of cinegoers thanks to her talent and her innocence. Unfortunately, this bundle of talent got lost somewhere in the mle of Bollywood and was last seen in a couple of serials and ads.

A masterpiece from Shekhar Kapoor, this movie starred Anil Kapoor and Sridevi in the lead roles. And complementing them was a bunch of children for whom their Arun bhaiyya (Anil Kapoor) meant the world. And their performance in the film ensured that these kids meant the world to all of us, too. The children more than did justice to their role and they complemented each other perfectly. The outcome: today's 'grown-up' stars, Aftab Shivdasani and choreographer-turned-director Ahmed Khan.

Shekhar Kapur's first directorial venture was based on Erich Segal's novel Man, Woman and Child. It told the story of a nine-year-old boy who is not accepted into his father's family because he was born of an adulterous relationship. The critically acclaimed film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Supriya Pathak and Saeed Jaffrey. But what people recall, even today, is the soft-spoken young boy Rahul, played by Jugal Hansraj, and his chirpy half-sister Pinky, played by a young Urmila Matondkar. As the eldest of the kiddo trio, Urmila's song Lakdi ki kathi is still one of the most popular children songs. Jugal was subsequently paired opposite Urmila in his debut film, Aa Gale Lag Jaa.