Main Hoon Na
| Main Hoon Na | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Farah Khan |
| Written by | Abbas Tyrewala (dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Farah Khan Abbas Tyrewala Rajesh Saathi |
| Story by | Farah Khan |
| Produced by | Gauri Khan |
| Starring | Shah Rukh Khan Sunil Shetty Sushmita Sen Amrita Rao Zayed Khan |
| Cinematography | V. Manikandan |
| Edited by | Shirish Kunder |
| Music by | Anu Malik |
| Distributed by | Red Chillies Entertainment Eros International Venus Records & Tapes Pvt Ltd |
Release date |
|
Running time | 182 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹250 million[1] |
| Box office | ₹780 million[2] |
Main Hoon Na (English : Trust me, I am here) is a 2004 Indian action-comedy romantic film. Co-written and directed by Farah Khan in her directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Farah Khan and Abbas Tyrewala based on the story by Anvita Dutt Guptan. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Zayed Khan, Sushmita Sen, Amrita Rao and Sunil Shetty. Amisha Patel and Ayesha Takia were the original choices for Amrita Rao’s role. It was remade into Tamil as Aegan starring Ajith Kumar, Nayantara and Pia Bajpai.
The film is the story of Indian army Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shah Rukh Khan) who becomes embroiled in the events to ensure that "Project Milap" - the releasing of civilian captives on either side of the borders of India and Pakistan - can take place as a sign of trust and peace between the two nations.[3] Main Hoon Na is one of the most successful Indian films discussing the Indo-Pakistani conflict from a neutral point of view. The film was shot at St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.
It is the first film of Shah Rukh Khan's production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and received positive reviews from critics.
Plot
The movie takes place against the background of the political relationship between India and Pakistan. The governments of the two countries have launched "Project Milaap", where both the governments will release the POWs from the previous wars.
Major Raghavan (Sunil Shetty), a rogue ex-para commando-turned-militant does not want the peaceful operation to turn to reality, and makes an attempt on Gen. Amarjeet Bakshi (Kabir Bedi)'s life. While trying to rescue Gen. Bakshi, Brigadier Shekhar Sharma (Naseeruddin Shah) falls prey to a stray bullet. On his deathbed, Shekhar confesses to his son, Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shahrukh Khan), that Ram is his illegitimate child, and his wife and son had left him many years ago due to this infidelity. He tells Ram that his last wish is to see his family reunited under one roof, and dies.
Gen. Bakshi tells Ram that his teenage daughter Sanjana's (Amrita Rao) life is in danger, and asks him to go undercover as a student in Sanjana's class, to ensure her safety. Ram is reluctant at first but then learns that his younger half-brother Lakshman "Lucky" (Zayed Khan) is studying at the same college. Ram agrees, and starts off on his dual mission: personal and national. At first, Ram is not able to fit into college life due to his age and military background. Ram meets Sanjana, who is Lucky's friend and is secretly in love with him. Lucky is portrayed as a popular student who is not interested in studies and has been at the college for some time now, unable and unwilling to pass his final year. Sanjana is constantly irritated by Ram because of his attempts at friendship, and tells him to stay away from her. Lucky and another student, Vivek, then end up in a competition, which involves getting to the roof of the school. Lucky slips off the roof, but is caught just in time by Ram, and this causes the two to become friends.
Soon thereafter, Mrs. Sharma (Kirron Kher), Lucky's mother, advertises for a paying guest in their house in order to make ends meet, and Ram takes this opportunity to live in their house. Ram finally starts adjusting to college life, building a good relationship with the other students and himself. He succeeds in wooing his lecturer, Ms. Chandini (Sushmita Sen), and Lucky and Sanjana engage in a romantic relationship. At the same time, Major Raghavan arrives at the college, also posing undercover as a member of staff.
Mrs. Sharma and Lucky find out that Ram is actually Shekar's son, and kick him out of their house. Ram then explains why he entered their lives, revealing his father's ashes and his last wish. This causes Mrs. Sharma to have a change of heart and realize her mistake of not reuniting with Brig. Sharma when he was alive. Major Raghavan kidnaps Sanjana and holds a large number of students and staff members hostage. In return for their safety, he wants Ram to call off the prisoner exchange program. Raghavan and Ram engage in a dangerous battle and Ram emerges as the victor. The film ends on a positive note, showing the success of Project Milap.
Cast
- Shah Rukh Khan as Major Ram Prasad Sharma, A Para Commando whose objective is to protect Sanjana and reconcile with his half-brother and step-mother
- Zayed Khan as Laxman "Lucky" Prasad Sharma, Ram's half-brother and Sanju's love interest.
- Sushmita Sen as Chandni, Chemistry Teacher and Ram's love interest
- Amrita Rao as Sanjana Bakshi/Sanju, General Bakshi's daughter and Lucky's love interest.
- Suniel Shetty as Ex-Major Raghavan Singh Dutta, A rogue ex-para commando who was court-martialed when he started killing innocent Pakistani citizens and stating that they were spies.
- Kirron Kher as Mrs. Madhu Sharma, Ram's step-mother
- Kabir Bedi as General Amarjeet Bakshi, Sanjana's father and Major Ram's superior officer
- Naseeruddin Shah as Brigadier Shekhar Sharma, Ram's father (Special Appearance)
- Murli Sharma as Captain Khan, Raghavan's second in command
- Kunal Kumar as student who helps Ram hack into university's students' list to search for Laxman Prasad Sharma
- Bindu as Mrs. Kakkad
- Boman Irani as the Principal
- Satish Shah as Professor Rasai
- Rakhi Sawant as Mini
- Praveen Sirohi as Vivek
- Rajeev Punjabi as Percy
- Tabu as The girl who was watching Ram dancing (Special Appearance)
Release
Film analyst Taran Adarsh praised the film for being funny, emotional and full of action, describing it as "a wholesome entertainer that has something for everyone."[4]
Jamie Russell wrote in his review in the BBC, "A bonkers 'masala' movie, Main Hoon Na could be the mutant offspring of Grease and The Matrix. Part thriller, part high school comedy and all Bollywood musical, it's the directorial debut of Farah Khan."[5]
Box office
Main Hoon Na was the second highest grossing Indian movie of 2004 behind Veer-Zaara (also a Shahrukh Khan starrer set against India-Pakistan backdrop).[6] It made ₹480 million (US$5.8 million) in India and an additional ₹19 million (US$230,000) in the overseas market.
Character map of remakes
| Aegan (2008 film) Tamil | Main Hoon Naa (2004 film) Hindi |
|---|---|
| Ajith Kumar | Shah Rukh Khan |
| Nayantara | Sushmita Sen |
| Suman | Sunil Shetty |
Soundtrack
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
The music was composed by Anu Malik. The lyrics were provided by Javed Akhtar. Anu Malik won his third Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 2.1 million units sold, the film's soundtrack album was the 5th highest selling Bollywood soundtrack of the year. Sonu Nigam received several award nominations and an MTV Immies Best Male Singer Award.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Hoon Na" | Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam | 06:02 |
| 2. | "Tumse Milke Dilka Hai Jo Haal" | Sonu Nigam, Aftab Sabri, Hashim Sabri | 06:00 |
| 3. | "Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha" | Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Shreya Ghoshal | 05:42 |
| 4. | "Gori Gori" | Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, KK, Anu Malik | 04:30 |
| 5. | "Chale Jaise Hawayein" | Vasundhara Das, KK | 05:25 |
| 6. | "Main Hoon Na (Sad Version)" | Abhijeet Bhattacharya | 04:18 |
| 7. | "Yeh Fizayein" | KK, Alka Yagnik | 05:19 |
| 8. | "Main Hoon Na (Remix)" | Ranjit Barot | 02:31 |
| 9. | "Chale Jaise Hawayein (Remix)" | Vasundhara Das, KK | 04:08 |
| Total length: | 43:55 | ||
Awards and Nominations
Main Hoon Na received many awards and nominations:[8]
References
- ^ "Main Hoon Na". IBOS Network. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
- ^ "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Rajinder Dudrah, Rajinder Kumar Dudrah Bollywood Travels: Culture, Diaspora and Border Crossings in Popular Hindi Cinema Routledge (2012) p. 18
- ^ "Taran Adarsh — Bollywood Hungama".
- ^ Jamie Russell Main Hoon Na (2004) 28 April 2004 BBC Movies
- ^ "Box Office 2004". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008.
- ^ "Awards for MHN 2004". BollywoodHungama.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 2005.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
External links
- Main Hoon Na at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- Use dmy dates from March 2013
- 2004 films
- 2000s action films
- 2000s musical films
- Directorial debut films
- Films about terrorism in India
- Films directed by Farah Khan
- 2000s Hindi-language films
- Hostage dramas
- Indian action drama films
- Indian action films
- Indian Army in films
- Indian films
- Indian coming-of-age films
- India–Pakistan relations in popular culture
- Masala films
- Teen comedy films
- Films set in Darjeeling
- Films scored by Anu Malik
- Hindi films remade in other languages