Mohabbatein

Mohabbatein (transl. Love Stories) is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed by Aditya Chopra, marking his second directorial venture after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai, Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Jugal Hansraj, Kim Sharma, Jimmy Shergill, Preeti Jhangiani in leading roles. The film also features Anupam Kher and Archana Puran Singh in supporting roles; whereas Amrish Puri, Shefali Shah and Helen make special appearances. Its soundtrack is composed by Jatin–Lalit and lyrics are penned by Anand Bakshi.

Mohabbatein
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAditya Chopra
Produced byYash Chopra
Written byAditya Chopra
StarringAmitabh Bachchan
Shah Rukh Khan
Aishwarya Rai
Uday Chopra
Shamita Shetty
Jugal Hansraj
Kim Sharma
Jimmy Shergill
Preeti Jhangiani
Music byJatin-Lalit
CinematographyManmohan Singh
Edited byV.V. Karnik
Singh Taranjeet
Distributed byYash Raj Films
Release date
27 October 2000
Running time
216 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budgetest.₹190 million[1]
Box officeest.₹900 million[2]

Mohabbatein marked the first collaboration between Bachchan and Khan. Shooting took place in India and the United Kingdom from September 1999 to June 2000. The film was released worldwide on Occasion of Diwali on 27 October 2000, clashing with Mission Kashmir. After Mohabbatein, Khan and Rai appeared in Devdas (2002). Before Mohabbatein, they played siblings in Josh (2000).

Produced on a budget of ₹19 crore (US$2.7 million), Mohabbatein was billed as one of the most expensive Hindi films to that point. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the direction, story, music, and performances. With a worldwide gross of ₹90 crore (US$13 million), the film became a major critical and commercial success. It was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year worldwide and the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year in India. The film changed Amitabh Bachchan's career prospects and earned him critical acclaim as well as several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. Shah Rukh Khan's work in Mohabbatein is still regarded as one of his finest performances; he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performance and also received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination. Aishwarya Rai was also noted for her work, earning her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Aditya Chopra was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Director and the film was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Film.

Plot

Narayan Shankar has been the strict principal of Gurukul, a prestigious all-boys college, for 25 years. He believes in bringing the best out of his students by emphasizing honour, tradition, and discipline, with no room for fun and games. He is particularly intolerant of romance, decreeing that any student who is caught having a romantic affair will immediately be expelled.

Despite this draconian rule, three Gurukul students — Sameer, Vicky, and Karan — all fall in love. Sameer is head over heels in love with Sanjana, his childhood friend who already has a steady boyfriend named Deepak. Vicky is attracted to Ishika, a sporty and feisty student at the neighboring all-girls college who rebuffs his attempts to woo her. Karan falls for Kiran, an elegant young widow whose military pilot husband has been shot down and whom Karan sees alone one night in a train station.

Meanwhile, Narayan hires Raj Aryan Malhotra as Gurukul's new music teacher. Friendly and a firm believer in the power of love, Raj Aryan makes it his mission to spread love throughout Gurukul. He sympathizes with the predicaments of Sameer, Vicky, and Karan, and encourages them to not give up and stay loyal to their loves. He tells them that he had a special love himself and that although she is dead, he imagines her to be by his side every day.

One day, as part of his plan to spread love throughout the school, Raj Aryan throws a party and invites the students of the all-girls college. Narayan walks in on the party and furiously threatens to fire Raj Aryan. At this point, Raj Aryan reveals that he had been a student at Gurukul over a decade earlier and that he had fallen in love with Megha, who happened to be Narayan's only daughter. Narayan had expelled Raj Aryan from the school without even seeing his face, and a distraught Megha, unable to live without Raj Aryan, committed suicide. Raj Aryan declares that he has come back to Gurukul to honor Megha's memory by reversing the school's zero-tolerance policy on romance, and promises that before he leaves he will fill the school with so much love that even Narayan will be unable to stop it. A shocked Narayan takes this as a challenge and allows Raj Aryan to remain for a while longer.

Sameer, Vicky, and Karan are all able to win over Sanjana, Ishika, and Kiran, respectively, but Narayan retaliates by tightening the rules of Gurukul. The student body, however, encouraged by Raj Aryan, continues to defy the rules, and in a last-ditch effort to preserve the school atmosphere he has built up for 25 years, Narayan expels Sameer, Vicky, and Karan. Raj Aryan speaks up on their behalf, stating that they did nothing wrong by falling in love and accusing Narayan of causing his own daughter's death with his intolerance of love. He also says that he feels Narayan lost the challenge because his daughter left him and now Raj Aryan (who considered Narayan an elder) is leaving him as well.

Raj Aryan's harsh words sting Narayan, and he tearfully realizes his strict no-romance policy has been misguided. Narayan apologizes to the student body and resigns as principal of Gurukul, nominating Raj Aryan as his successor, who accepts and reconciles with Narayan.

Cast

Production

Before the production of the film, Bachchan was attempting a revival of his career with little success, and was also in financial trouble with the bankruptcy of his production company, ABCL, not only hurting his image but leaving him almost penniless. It was at this time that Bachchan contacted his friend, director-producer Yash Chopra, who told him of an upcoming production that he could be in.[3] With Mohabbatein, Bachchan was finally able to shed his "hero" image and to play older, more mature roles.[3] This was also the first film in which Bachchan and Khan appeared together. This created a strong buzz for the film, as it brought two huge stars of different generations together.

Filming
Longleat House (in the picture) was used as the location for the Gurukul School in the film.

Filming took place in India and England.[4] Longleat, a country house in Wiltshire, England, was used as the location of Gurukul. 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 in Panvel, Maharashtra, India. The scene where Karan asks for friendship from Kiran was shot at Birla Mandir in Hyderabad, India. It was rumored that Sridevi was approached to be a love interest to Narayan Shankar, but she turned down the role.[5] 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.[6]

Music
Mohabbatein
Soundtrack album by
Jatin-Lalit
Released2000[7]
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length50:52
LabelYRF Music
ProducerYash Chopra
Jatin-Lalit chronology
Dhai Akshar Prem Ke
(2000)		 Mohabbatein
(2000)		 Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
(2000)
External audio
Audio Jukebox on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, 5 million soundtrack albums were sold.[9] Yash Chopra earned an advance of ₹75 million for the music rights.[10]

Music was used extensively throughout the film and features leitmotifs that relate to each of the main characters (each couple having unique theme music).

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Humko Humise Churaalo"Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan07:58
2."Chalte Chalte" (Version 1)Sonali Bhatawdekar, Ishaan Dev, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav Ohja, Shweta Pandit, Manohar Shetty07:44
3."Pairon Mein Bandhan Hai"Sonali Bhatawdekar, Ishaan Dev, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav Ohja, Shweta Pandit, Manohar Shetty07:06
4."Aankhein Khuli"Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Shahrukh Khan, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Ishaan Dev, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav Ohja, Manohar Shetty07:08
5."Soni Soni"Sonali Bhatawdekar, Ishaan Dev, Pritha Mazumdar, Udit Narayan, Jaspinder Narula, Udhbav Ohja, Shweta Pandit, Manohar Shetty09:11
6."Chalte Chalte" (Version 2)Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar, Udhbav Ohja, Shweta Pandit, Manohar Shetty02:55
7."Zinda Rehti Hain Unki Mohabbatein"Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan02:28
8."Mohabbatein Love Themes"Instrumental02:24
9."Rhythms of Mohabbatein"Instrumental03:58
Total length:50:52

Legacy and Reception

Box office

Mohabbatein grossed ₹70.62 crore (US$9.9 million) in India and $4.17 million (₹19.39 crore) in other countries, for a worldwide total of ₹90.01 crore (US$13 million), against its ₹19 crore (US$2.7 million) budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of ₹11.37 crore (US$1.6 million), and grossed ₹20.45 crore (US$2.9 million) in its first week.[11] It is the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2000 worldwide.[12]

India

It opened on Friday, 27 October 2000, across 315 screens, and earned ₹1.19 crore (US$170,000) nett on its opening day. It grossed ₹3.54 crore (US$500,000) nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of ₹7.62 crore (US$1.1 million) nett. The film earned a total of ₹41.88 crore (US$5.9 million) nett (plus a distributor share of ₹25.52 crore (US$3.6 million)), and was declared "Blockbuster" by Box Office India.[13] It is the 2nd-highest-grossing film of 2000 in India after Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai which grossed ₹44.27 crore (US$6.2 million) nett.[14]

Overseas

It had an opening weekend of $1.16 million (₹5.39 crore) and went on to gross $1.63 million (₹7.57 crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $4.17 million (₹19.39 crore) at the end of its theatrical run.[15] Overseas, It is the highest-grossing film of 2000.[16]

Critical reception

Mohabbatein received positive reviews from critics. 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."[17] 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.[18]

Awards and Nominations
46th Filmfare Awards
Category Recipients and Nominees Results
Best Actor - Critics Shahrukh Khan Won
Best Supporting Actor Amitabh Bachchan
Best Sound Design Anuj Mathur
Best Scene of the Year Aditya Chopra
Best Film Yash Chopra Nominated
Best Director Aditya Chopra
Best Actor Shahrukh Khan
Best Supporting Actress Aishwarya Rai
Best Music Direction Jatin-Lalit
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Humko Humise Churaalo"
Best Male Playback Udit Narayan for "Humko Humise Churaalo"
Best Cinematography Manmohan Singh
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Category Recipients and Nominees Results
Best Female Debut Preeti Jhangiani, Kim Sharma, Shamita Shetty Won
Best Male Debut Uday Chopra
Best Story Aditya Chopra
Best Costume Design Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra
Best Supporting Actor Amitabh Bachchan
Best Actor Shahrukh Khan Nominated
Best Movie Yash Raj Films
Best Director Aditya Chopra
Best Performance in a Comic Role Anupam Kher, Archana Puran Singh
Star Screen Awards
Category Recipients and Nominees Results
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Humko Hamise Chura Lo" Won
Sansui Awards
Category Recipients and Nominees Results
Best Actor Shahrukh Khan Won
Screen Weekly Awards
Category Recipients and Nominees Results
Best Lyricst Anand Bakshi for "Humko Humise Chura Lo" Won
Best Film Yash Raj Films Nominated
Best Director Aditya Chopra
Best Actor Shahrukh Khan
Best Supporting Actor Amitabh Bachchan
Best Music Director Jatin-Lalit
Best Dialogue Aditya Chopra
Best Cinematography Manmohan Singh
Best Art Director Sharmishta Roy
Best Choreography Farah Khan for "Pairon Mein Bandhan Hai"
Most Promising Newcomer - Male Uday Chopra

References
  1. "Mohabbatein". boxofficeindia. BOI. Retrieved 7 April 2017. Budget: 19,00,00,000
  2. "Mohabbatein". boxofficeindia. BOI. Retrieved 7 April 2017. Worldwide Gross: 90,01,05,000
  3. "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Lead Article". Tribuneindia.com. 4 March 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  4. "Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan". Atimes.com. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  5. "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Bollywood Bhelpuri". Tribuneindia.com. 12 March 2000. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  6. "Transcript of the Jugal Hansraj Chat". rediff.com. 29 November 2000. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  7. "Mohabbatein (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes.
  8. "Mohabbatein Music Review". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  9. "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  10. Kaur, Raminder; Sinha, Ajay J. (2005). Bollyworld: Popular Indian Cinema Through A Transnational Lens. SAGE Publications. pp. 189–190. ISBN 9788132103448.
  11. "Mohabbatein". boxofficeindia. BOI. Retrieved 7 April 2017. Worldwide First Week 20,45,73,000
  12. "Top Worldwide Grossers 2000". Box Office India. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  13. "Mohabbatein". boxofficeindia. BOI. Retrieved 7 April 2017. Super-Hit
  14. "Top India Total Nett Gross 2000". Box Office India. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  15. "Mohabbatein". boxofficeindia. BOI. Retrieved 7 April 2017. Overseas Gross: $4,170,000
  16. "Top Overseas Gross 2000". Box Office India. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  17. Someshwar, Savera R (27 October 2000). "Feel good with the hankies!". Rediff. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  18. "Review by Taran Adarsh". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
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