40 years of Tohfa: The Biggest Bollywood Blockbuster of 1984: Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada's superhit

Ya had to be there. The feverish pitch and excitement for Tohfa, the masala Mumbai musical was astounding back in the early 1980s. After the stupendous success of Himmtawala, the combination of Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada in Tohfa (look for the formulaic albeit successful song and dance routines) was pure box-office gold. 

The premise was simple; the film's narrative follows siblings Janki (Jaya Prada) and Lalita (Sridevi) who both fall for Ram (Jeetendra), their mutual friend. When Lalita learns that Janki loves Ram, she steps back and allows her sister to marry him. A remake of Raghavendra Rao's Telugu blockbuster Devatha (1982), with Sridevi and Jaya Prada reprising their roles.

Producer D. Rama Naidu employed huge billboards and cut outs for the film's publicity before its February release to garner considerable public interest in the Hindi-speaking belt of the nation. 

Despite lackluster reviews (we couldn't find a single positive one on Google), it was pure manna when it came to film distributors and exhibitors. Forget awards (corrupt to the point of lunacy) and critical acclaim (pandering to the few), distributors and exhibitors were thrilled as the audience lapped it up. A sign of the times, candy coloured escapism was the need of the nation, and the movie delivered.  

"Tohfa ran for more than 25 weeks and has done humongous business at our property."
Noshir K Marfatia Exhibitor, Majestic Cinema, Ajmer

"Tohfa was a blockbuster and one of the most popular films. The film ran for 50 weeks and also fared spectacular with the returns . Back in the 80's , when cinema was the only mode of entertainment. Queues for tickets would extend up to two to three kms at our cinema "
Rajbir Mallik Exhibitor, Payal Cinema, Dehradun

"Without a doubt, I would say that Tohfa was Jeetendra's best film. Even the songs of this film were hits. Not surprisingly, the film always ran houseful." 
Sandip Tekriwal Theatre Owner, Gorakhpur, UP

"Even the songs from Tohfa were trendsetters. And for the Tohfa song, some theaters were decorated with saris. That's how people were crazy. Tickets were sold in black back then and people used to buy them at any cost." 
Umesh Upadhyay Theater Owner, Sri Ganesh Talkies, Wardha, Maharashtra

"I remember from the 80's, Tohfa ran houseful even during re-runs."
Karan Mengi Exhibitor, Raj Talkies Udhampur, Jammu  

"Tohfa ran for 25 weeks and was a blockbuster. Tohfa was the obvious hit."
Bharat Chandra Hanjdeo, Exhibitor, Keshari Talkies, Bhubaneshwar

"Sridevi did more than 15 Films with Jeetendra. Films like Tohfa was massive hit at our property."
Rajesh Chandan Exhibitor, Novelty, Lucknow