Mohabbatein
| Mohabbatein | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Aditya Chopra |
| Produced by | Yash Chopra |
| Written by | Aditya Chopra |
| Starring | Amitabh Bachchan Shahrukh Khan Aishwarya Rai Uday Chopra Jugal Hansraj Jimmy Shergill Shamita Shetty Kim Sharma Preeti Jhangiani |
| Music by | Jatin-Lalit |
| Cinematography | Manmohan Singh |
| Editing by | V.V. Karnik Singh Taranjeet |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
| Release date(s) | 27 October 2000 |
| Running time | 216 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget |  181 million (US$3.3 million)[1] |
| Box office | 741.1 million (US$14 million)[2] |
Mohabbatein (translation: Love Stories), is a 2000 Indian romantic musical film directed by Aditya Chopra. It was Chopra's second directorial venture after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and was filmed at India and England. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan in pivotal roles, along with six young debutantes. Aishwarya Rai appeared in flashbacks as Khan's lover. The film's soundtrack was composed by Jatin-Lalit, while the lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi. Mohabbatein is most notable for being the first time that Bachchan and Khan appeared on-screen together.
The film went on to do well both critically and commercially. It became the second highest grossing film of the year and was thus declared a superhit.[3] It also won several awards including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, given to Khan and Bachchan respectively.
Contents |
Plot [edit]
Gurukul is a university run by the stubborn Narayan Shankar (Amitabh Bachchan). Narayan who wants the best out of his students places an emphasis on honour, tradition and discipline. He has run the university for 25 years and forbids any kind of romance — anybody he catches falling in love will be expelled. The focus is on three boys: Sameer (Jugal Hansraj), Vicky (Uday Chopra) and Karan (Jimmy Shergill) who are all in love with three women. Sameer is in love with his childhood friend Sanjana (Kim Sharma). Vicky falls for a girl from the university next door named Ishika (Shamita Shetty). Karan becomes smitten by a girl he sees at the train station named Kiran (Preeti Jhangiani). However, they all know that if they are caught, they will be expelled and so decide not to try and confess their love for their interests.
Raj Aryan (Shahrukh Khan) joins Gurukul as a music teacher. He is a strong believer of love — when he learns the three boys are in love, he encourages them to follow their hearts. He also slowly starts introducing changes to Gurukul much to the disgust of Narayan, who does not like changes. The boys soon end up disappointed when trying to get their love interests. Sameer learns Sanjana has a boyfriend. Vicky only makes Ishika dislike him when trying to woo her. Karan learns that Kiran is married to a pilot who is assumed dead. Raj tells the boys not to be disappointed. He believes they are lucky because Raj's love Megha (Aishwarya Rai) is dead. He says he continues to love her in the same way and believes the boys should also do the same. Raj often imagines that Megha is by his side.
Soon, Raj throws a party in Gurukul and invites the girls' school from next door — part of his plan to spread love throughout Gurukul. Narayan Shankar is furious and decides to sack Raj immediately. Raj reveals that he is Raj Aryan Malhotra. Raj was a student at Gurukul years ago and was expelled because he loved Megha, who was Narayan's only daughter. When Raj was expelled, Megha committed suicide. Raj believed that this incident would make Narayan change for the better; it only made him more stubborn. Raj promises that, before he leaves Gurukul, he will fill it with so much love that even Narayan himself will not be able to remove it. A battle now begins between love (Raj) and fear (Narayan). Narayan decides that he will keep Raj at Gurukal as a challenge.
Sameer, Vicky, and Karan soon win over the girls they love — Raj is winning the battle for the moment. Narayan does not give up so easily; when he sees the rules of Gurukul are being broken, he tightens them. The three boys continue to break the rules, which encourages the other students to do the same. Narayan decides to expel the three. Raj tries to reason with Narayan — he tells him that what the three boys did was caused by him so they should not be expelled for it. Raj also says that he feels Narayan lost the battle, because his daughter left him and now Raj (who considered Narayan an elder) is leaving him. Raj's words make Narayan realise his mistake. He publicly apologises to the students and steps down as the principal, allowing Raj to take over. Raj turns Gurukul into a love-filled university. In the end Raj, Narayan and an image of Megha walk happily towards the gates of Gurukul.
Cast [edit]
- Amitabh Bachchan as Narayan Shankar
- Shahrukh Khan as Raj Aryan Malhotra
- Aishwarya Rai as Megha Shankar
- Uday Chopra as Vikram "Vicky" Oberoi/Kapoor
- Jimmy Shergill as Karan Chaudhry
- Jugal Hansraj as Sameer Sharma
- Shamita Shetty as Ishika Dhanrajgir
- Kim Sharma as Sanjana
- Preeti Jhangiani as Kiran
- Amrish Puri as Maj. Gen. Khanna, Kiran's father-in-law
- Shefali Shah as Nandini, Kiran's sister-in-law
- Parzan Dastur as Ayush, Nandini's son
- Saurabh Shukla as Sanjana's father
- Anupam Kher as Kake
- Archana Puran Singh as Preeto
- Helen as Miss Monica
- Sindhu Tolani as Ishika's friend
Production [edit]
Before the production of the film, Amitabh Bachchan was attempting a revival of his career but it was of little success. Also, he was in financial trouble with the bankruptcy of his production company, ABCL, which was hurting his image. These troubles left him almost penniless, and it was at this time that he contacted his friend and director/producer Yash Chopra, who told him of an upcoming production that he could be in.[4] With Mohabbatein, he was finally able to shed his "hero" image and to play older, more mature roles.[4] This was the first film in which Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan appeared together. This created a strong buzz for the film as it brought two huge stars of different generations together.
Filming took place in India and England.[5] Longleat was used as the location for filming Gurukul University. Oxford and Cambridge Universities were also used for filming. The scene where Narayan Shankar walks right before meeting Raj Aryan was filmed at the Queen's College, Oxford. The railway station scenes were shot at Apta Railway Station, Panvel Maharashtra, India. The scene where Karan asks for friendship from Kiran was shot at Birla Mandir, Revdanda, Alibag, Maharashtra, India. It was rumored that Sridevi was approached to be a love interest to Narayan Shankar, but she turned down the role.[6] Midway through the filming of the song "Aankhein Khuli", Jugal Hansraj fractured his foot, which required him to wear a cast for the rest of the filming of the song. Aishwarya Rai was slated to only make a guest appearance, but her presence generated so much interest that her role was promoted to that of a regular character.[7]
Music [edit]
| Mohabbatein | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Jatin-Lalit | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 49:48 | |||
| Label | YRF Music | |||
| Producer | Yash Chopra | |||
| Jatin-Lalit chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Planet Bollywood |   [8] |
The music of Mohabbatein was composed by Jatin Lalit while lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi. The album was very well received by the audience. It was the best selling Bollywood soundtrack of the 2000s.[9]
Music was used extensively throughout the film and features leitmotifs that relate to each of the main characters (each couple having unique theme music).
Avinash Ramchandani of Planet Bollywood gave the album 9.5 stars stating, "Mohabbatein is an outstanding album with several new singers making a splendid debut, as well as a commendable job by Jatin-Lalit, and brilliant lyrics by Anand Bakshi".[8]
The songs included on the official soundtrack:
| # | Song | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Humko Humise Chura Lo" | Lata Mangeshkar & Udit Narayan | 07:52 |
| 2 | "Chalte Chalte" | Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav, Manohar Shetty & Ishaan | 07:38 |
| 3 | "Pairon Mein Bandhan Hai" | Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav, Manohar Shetty & Ishaan | 07:01 |
| 4 | "Aankhein Khuli" | Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav, Manohar Shetty, Shahrukh Khan & Ishaan |
07:02 |
| 5 | "Soni Soni" | Udit Narayan, Jaspinder Narula, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav, Manohar Shetty & Ishaan |
09:07 |
| 6 | "Chalte Chalte 2" | Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav, Manohar Shetty | 02:49 |
| 7 | "Zinda Rehti Hain Unki Mohabbatein" | Lata Mangeshkar & Udit Narayan | 02:03 |
| 8 | "Mohabbatein Love Themes" | Instrumental | 02:20 |
| 9 | "Rhythms of Mohabbatein" | Instrumental | 03:56 |
Reception [edit]
Critical reception [edit]
Mohabbatein received positive reviews from critics. Alok Kumar of Planet Bollywood called it "a feel-good film that takes feeling good to new heights." He wrote, "The film made me care for the characters, something that has not happened since Pooja Bhatt’s brilliant performance in Zakhm or Kajol’s heartwarming performance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Mohabbatein’s lead characters are very well etched and seem real, which is different from most films, whose characters are one-dimensional cardboard cutouts.[10] Jennifer Hopfinger of thebollywoodticket.com said, "watching Khan and Bachchan go toe-to-toe with grandiose speeches about love and fear—emotions that the two actors have embodied professionally—is ample entertainment."[11] Savera R Someshwar of Rediff.com commented, "It's a mish-mash alright. But it is also a successful, feelgood film. You'll enjoy yourself as you watch it."[12] Giving the film 4 out of 5 stars, Tanuka Chakraverty of apunkachoice.com said, "The film's highlights are the one-to-one scenes of Amitabh and Shah Rukh. While the former is a veteran and his histrionics now seem to be an extension of his charisma and aura, the latter gives a matured performance. Shah Rukh is finally a controlled performer with Mohabbatein. He takes Amitabh head on and succeeds in giving compelling shots, not wincing even once.[13] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 3 out of 5 stars. He praised the conflict between the lead characters and the three love stories depicted in the film but criticized its excessive length.[14]
Box office [edit]
Mohabbatein did very well at the box office. It grossed over 741.1 million (US$14 million) at the worldwide box office.[2] It also became the second highest grossing Hindi film of the year at the domestic box office and was thus declared a "Super Hit."[3]
Awards [edit]
Filmfare Awards [edit]
- Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor (Shahrukh Khan)[15]
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor (Amitabh Bachchan)[15]
- Best Sound Recording Anuj Mathur
- Best Scene of the Year - (awarded to the "Climax confrontation" scene between Raj Aryan and Narayan Shankar)
Other Awards [edit]
- IIFA Awards - Best Costume Design (Karan Johar)
- IIFA Awards - Best Story (Aditya Chopra)
- Screen Award - Best Lyrics (Anand Bakshi)
- Sansui Viewer Choice Movie Awards - Best Actor (Shahrukh Khan)
References [edit]
- ^ "Mohabbatein". Retrieved 26 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide". Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Box Office 2000". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
- ^ a b "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Lead Article". Tribuneindia.com. 4 March 2001. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ^ "Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan". Atimes.com. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ^ "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Bollywoood Bhelpuri". Tribuneindia.com. 12 March 2000. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ^ "Transcript of the Jugal Hansraj Chat". rediff.com. 29 November 2000. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ^ a b "Mohabbatein Music Review". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Review by Alok Kumar". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Review by Jennifer Hopfinger". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Review by Savera R Someshwar". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Review by Tanuka Chakraverty". Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ "Review by Taran Adarsh". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ a b http://filmfareawards.indiatimes.com/articleshow/368708.cms
