Akshay Kumar and Ayesha Jhulka were two of the most popular stars of the early ‘90s. Both started their career around the same time, with Akshay Kumar debuting in his major role in ‘Saugandh’ (1991) and Ayesha Jhulka made her Telugu debut in ‘Neti Siddhartha’ (1990) and her Hindi debut in ‘Kurbaan’ (1990).
They were often cast together in movies as their chemistry on-screen was undeniable. Movies such as ‘Khiladi’ (1992), ‘Dil Ki Baazi’ (1993), ‘Waqt Hamara Hai’ (1993) and ‘Jai Kishen’ (1994) are still watched today on various platforms and channels.
Their pairing was so popular that they were even given the nicknames ‘Khiladi Kumar’ and ‘Jhulka Girl’. After Akshay Kumar started dating Raveena Tandon, things changed.
Akshay Kumar and Ayesha Jhulka were a part of an era in Bollywood which will never come back again. Their movies were very family friendly, with melodious music, no vulgarity and popular with audiences of all ages. This is why many have fond memories of their childhood when they hear this romantic pair.
In a 2022 interview with Siddharth Kannan, she was asked whether she is in touch with any of her former co-stars, like Akshay Kumar or Aamir Khan. She replied that the relationships in showbiz are fickle and people move on from things quite quickly, including herself. She mentioned she is still in touch with Govinda and Jackie Shroff and she can just pick up the phone and ask for anything she needs.
Ironically, Ayesha Jhulka is popularly known for her role in ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1992) opposite Aamir Khan.
On the big screen, she was last seen in ‘Genius’ (2018) film and on OTT, in Amazon Prime Video series ‘Hush Hush’ (2022) as Meera Yadav and ‘Happy Family: Conditions Apply’ (2023) as Pallavi Dholakia.
Akshay Kumar and Ayesha Jhulka will continue to be remembered as one of the most popular pairs in Bollywood history.
