Overview

• Iqbal, released on August 26, 2005, is being celebrated on its 20th anniversary with new interviews reflecting on its impact.
• Made on a small budget, the film became a critical and commercial success and later won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.
• Shreyas Talpade calls the movie life-changing and recalls early audiences addressing him in sign language after believing his character’s disability was real.
• Talpade attributes part of the initial box-office surge to spillover from house-full shows of Salman Khan’s No Entry, which accelerated word-of-mouth.
• Nagesh Kukunoor describes the shoot as a joyous experience and notes that talks of a commemorative theatrical re-release are unconfirmed, with Talpade voicing support.