Is there any director, who started off in the '80s, who is still prolific and in-demand in Bollywood as David Dhawan? Some of his peers like Subhash Ghai, Anil Sharma, N Chandra, Mehul Shah, are stills struggling to get hits, but David Dhawan's last two films, Main Tera Hero and Judwaa 2, have been superhits. Sure, it has more to do with the fact that both the films starred David's younger son, Varun Dhawan, who is one of the most popular stars in Bollywood right now. However, we can't ignore the fact that David Dhawan still knows the pulse of his audience while also making his films polished for the current times. Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal's Meet With Daddy David Dhawan Piques Our Interest! View Pics.

Interestingly, David Dhawan, who began his career as an editor and had turned director in 1988, had made serious action films or dramas in the beginning like Taaqatwar, Goli Barood, Swarg, Aag Ka Gola and Jurrat. It was with the 1992 film Shola Aur Shabnam, where David Dhawan began his tryst with comedy without compromising on the masala elements. Shola Aur Shabnam was a big hit, and DD repeated the formula with subsequent releases like Bol Radha Bol and Raja Babu, all getting the same results. Aankhen that came out in 1993 was one of the biggest hits of the '90s. While DD has seen flops in this eras, the hits were more in number. He also had the pleasure of working with top stars Shatrughan Sinha, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Karishma Kapoor, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Juhi Chawla, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, but most of his collaborations have been with Govinda, before they parted ways on a very sore note. Govinda Talks About His Fallout With David Dhawan Yet Again As He Reveals What Really Went Wrong.

On August 16, 2019, David Dhawan is turning 64. While we wish the ace film-maker Many Many Happy Returns of the Day, we also take this opportunity to list seven of the most entertaining films of his career that still bring in the laughs.

Bol Radha Bol (1992)

Rishi Kapoor and Juhi Chawla in Bol Radha Bol

Bol Radha Bol starred Rishi Kapoor and Juhi Chawla in the lead. The movie was a huge hit then thanks to its superhit songs. While Bol Radha Bol had the trademark David Dhawan comedy, it also boasts of some thrilling elements involving the protagonist's doppelganger and his evil relatives.

Aankhen (1993)

Govinda and Chunky Pandey in Aankhen

Aankhen was the biggest hit of the year, and was considered a complete package then. With equal doses of comedy, action, thriller and romance, the movie also had superhit songs. And Govinda was in top form, both as the irascible Munnu and his naive lookalike Gaurishankar. And his camaraderie with Chunkey Pandey was the movie's highlight.

Coolie No 1 (1995)

Govinda, Harish, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Sadashiv Amrapurkar in Coolie No 1

All set to have a remake, starring Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, Coolie No 1 is a remake of Tamil film Chinna Mapillai. Govinda plays the titular coolie who is made to act like a rich businessman by a devious broker so that he can marry the daughter of a wealthy but crooked man. Coolie No 1 has chartbuster songs like "Husn Hai Suhana" and "Main To Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha". Not just Govinda, the rest of the cast, including Karisma Kapoor, Kader Khan, Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Shakti Kapoor are equally hilarious.

Deewana Mastana (1997)

Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Salman Khan and Kader Khan in Deewana Mastana

It is not just Govinda whose comic abilities shine the best in a David Dhawan movie; the director has the ability to extract similar talent from other actors too. In Deewana Mastana, while Govinda was on scenery-chewing mode as the man-child, he is given tough competition by a hilarious Anil Kapoor who has the dependable Johnny Lever for company. Fighting for Juhi Chawla's affections, both compete in oneupmanship only to lose her to Salman Khan's character (in a surprise cameo). Also, watch out for Satish Kaushik's special appearance.

Jodi No 1 (2001)

Govinda and Sanjay Dutt in Jodi No 1

Govinda and Sanjay Dutt also have been a very lethal combo in a David Dhawan. Before Jodi No 1 came out, they had acted together in two other DD movies, Taaqatwar, which failed, and Haseena Maan Jaayegi, that was a big hit. But Jodi No 1 ranks better because, while Govinda scored more in HSM, both Sanju and Govinda were equally hilarious here. However, the team's fourth film, Ek Aur Ek Gyaarah, didn't work at the box office.

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004)

Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi

After Jodi No 1 in 2001, David Dhawan was not able to score afterwards with movies like Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, Yeh Hai Jalwa, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin and Ek Aur Ek Gyarah all flopping at the box office. Then Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar came together to deliver a hit for DD in this hilarious romcom. While Salman was funny and Priyanka was pretty, it was Akshay as wicked Sunny who stole the show. Also, let's not forget that climax involving cameos from Indian cricketers like Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra and others.

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005)

Sohail Khan and Salman Khan in Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya

Aka the movie that brought Katrina Kaif to the major league. Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya is also the movie that showed us Sohail Khan can also tickle our funny bones, albeit that didn't have a long shelf life. Well, not just Sohail, even the rest of the cast, including his elder brother Salman, Arshad Warsi, Sushmita Sen, Rajpal Yadav were all in terrific form too!

Honourable Mentions: Raja Babu, Hero No 1, Judwaa, Saajan Chale Sasural, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Partner, Do Knot Disturb, Main Tera Hero

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2019 08:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).