Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya
Produced by Ajit Kumar Barjatya
Kamal Kumar Barjatya
Rajkumar Barjatya
Written by Sooraj R. Barjatya
Starring Madhuri Dixit
Salman Khan
Mohnish Bahl
Renuka Shahane
Anupam Kher
Reema Lagoo
Alok Nath
Music by Raamlaxman
Cinematography Rajan Kinagi
Edited by Mukhtar Ahmed
Production
company
Distributed by Eros International
Release dates
 5 August 1994
Running time
 206 minutes[lower-alpha 1]
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget INR42.5 million (US$670,000)
Box office INR1.35 billion (US$21 million)

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (HAHK;[2] English: Who am I to You) is a 1994 Indian musical romantic-comedy film, written and directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya, and produced by Rajshri Productions. Starring Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan, it celebrates Indian wedding traditions by relating to the story of a married couple and the relationship between their families; a story about sacrificing ones love for ones family. It is a remake of the studio's own film Nadiya Ke Paar (1982).

Earning over INR1.35 billion (US$21 million) worldwide, the film became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. It contributed to a change in the Indian film industry, with new methods of distribution and a turn towards less violent stories. It was the first Hindi film to gross over INR1 billion, and when adjusted for inflation, it is still one of the highest-earning Bollywood films ever. Box Office India described it as "the biggest blockbuster of the modern era." The 14-song soundtrack, an unusually large number, was also very popular, with popular singer Lata Mangeshkar lending her voice for more than 10 of the 14 songs in the film.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! won five Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress, as well as winning the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It made a lasting impact on wedding celebrations in India, which often include songs and games from the film.

Plot

Prem (Salman Khan) lost his parents at an early age. He lives with his elder brother Rajesh (Mohnish Bahl) and uncle Kailashnath (Alok Nath). Rajesh manages the family business and his family is on the look-out for a suitable bride for him. Professor Siddharth Chaudhary (Anupam Kher) and Mrs. Chaudhary (Reema Lagoo) have two daughters, Pooja (Renuka Shahane) and Nisha (Madhuri Dixit). The Chaudhary couple and Kailashnath are old friends who meet again after several years. They arrange a marriage between Rajesh and Pooja. From their first meeting, Nisha and Prem start bickering lightheartedly with each other, and the fun and mischief continues throughout Pooja and Rajesh's wedding.

Prem has an amicable relationship with his warm-hearted sister-in-law. In time, Pooja and Rajesh discover that they are expecting a child. Professor and Mrs. Chaudhary are unable to come to Kailashnath's house for the ceremony marking the impending arrival of the baby. They send Nisha instead, who is present at the birth. Meanwhile, Nisha and Prem fall in love with each other, but keep it a secret. Professor and Mrs. Chaudhary come over to Kailashnath's house to celebrate the birth of their grandchild. When the time comes to part, they leave dejectedly, especially Prem. He and Nisha promise to each other that they will soon get together for ever.

One day, Pooja is invited to stay at her parents' house, and Prem takes her there. When they arrive, Pooja learns that Prem and Nisha are in love, and gives Nisha a necklace as a token, promising to marry them. Shortly afterwards, Pooja goes to answer the phone, and she accidentally slips and falls down the stairs, and dies from a head injury. Everybody is shattered by the tragedy.

Nisha takes good care of her dead sister's son. Hence, her parents and Kailashnath feel that Nisha will be a great mother to the baby. They decide to marry Nisha off with Rajesh. Nisha overhears her parents talking about her marrying into Kailashnath's family. She mistakenly thinks that they are discussing her marriage to Prem, so she agrees. Later, at a pre-nuptial ceremony, she finds out that she is actually supposed to get married to Rajesh.

Prem and Nisha vow to sacrifice their love for Rajesh and the baby. Moments before the wedding is to begin, Nisha asks her dog Tuffy to give Prem the necklace that Pooja had given her, along with a letter. The letter and necklace fall into the hands of Rajesh. When he realizes that Prem and Nisha love each other, he halts the wedding and confronts both of them. In the end, Nisha and Prem marry each other with the consent of their families. The film's title Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! appears and then rephrases to Hum Aapke Hain! (English: I am yours!) at the end of the film when Prem and Nisha get married.

Cast

Production

Director/writer Sooraj Barjatya devoted one year and nine months to the screenplay of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!. He spent the first five months trying to write another Maine Pyar Kiya, but then started over after his father Rajkumar Barjatya suggested that he rework one of the family company Rajshri Productions earlier offerings.[3] Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! then became a remake of their 1982 produced film Nadiya Ke Paar.[4] Barjatya used musical numbers to avoid treating some situations in a cliche manner, which resulted in so many songs that there were complaints during initial screenings of the film concerning its length and number of songs. Barjayta's grandfather, company founder Tarachand Barjatya loved the song "Dhiktana" so much that the film was nearly given that title.[3]

Barjatya later told India Abroad, "My attempt in this movie has been to reexpose the cinema-going public to the quintessential family life ... not to make people feel that they have come to see a movie, but make them feel as if they have come to visit a big joint family that is preparing for a wedding".[5] The story was constructed differently than what was popular at the time. There were no villains, violence, or battles between good and evil.[6] From conception to finished product, the film took four years.[3]

The producers/distributors exercised a higher than normal level of control over their work. There was a limited release, a new form of television publicity, safeguards against video piracy, and a delay in the releasing of video tapes.[7][8] The film was also dubbed into the Telugu language and released with the title Premalayam.[9]

Soundtrack

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
Soundtrack album by Raamlaxman
Released 30 July 1994
Genre Hindi film soundtrack
Length 71:09
Label Sa Re Ga Ma
Producer Raamlaxman

The soundtrack for Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! was composed by Raamlaxman, with lyrics penned by Ravinder Rawal and Dev Kohli. It was produced under the Sa Re Ga Ma label and featured veteran playback singers such as Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. Raamlaxman had about 50 sessions with the director Barjatya during scripting.[3] The finished soundtrack included an unusually large number of songs at 14,[10] plus the song "Hasta Hua Noorani Chehra" (from the film Parasmani), that was used when the characters play a game. The track "Didi Tera Devar Deewana" is said to be inspired by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's song "Saare Nabian".[11] That song became one of the most popular film songs ever, and was on the charts for over a year.[5] The soundtrack was very successful upon release, becoming the best selling Bollywood soundtrack of the year, and one of the top four sellers of the 1990s, with 10 million units sold.[12] It is ranked the number 29 all time best Hindi soundtrack by Planet Bollywood.[13]

Tracklist
No. TitleLyricsSinger(s) Length
1. "Maye Ni Maye"  Dev KohliLata Mangeshkar 4:21
2. "Didi Tera Devar Deewana"  Dev KohliLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 8:05
3. "Mausam Ka Jaadu"  Ravinder RawalLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 5:03
4. "Chocolate Lime Juice"  Dev KohliLata Mangeshkar 4:27
5. "Joote Do, Paise Lo"  Ravinder RawalLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 4:36
6. "Pehla Pehla Pyar"  Dev KohliS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 4:25
7. "Dhiktana (Part 1)"  Ravinder RawalS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 5:20
8. "Babul"  Ravinder RawalSharda Sinha 3:44
9. "Mujhse Juda Hokar"  Dev KohliLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 6:02
10. "Samdhi Samdhan"  Ravinder RawalLata Mangeshkar, Kumar Sanu 5:51
11. "Hum Aapke Hain Koun"  Dev KohliLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 4:00
12. "Wah Wah Ramji"  Ravinder RawalLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 4:15
13. "Lo Chali Main"  Ravinder RawalLata Mangeshkar 2:53
14. "Dhiktana (Part 2)"  Ravinder RawalLata Mangeshkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Udit Narayan, Shailender Singh 8:07
Total length:
 71:09

Reception

Release

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! premiered at Liberty Cinema in southern Mumbai on 5 August 1994;[14] it eventually ran there for over 100 weeks.[15] The film initially saw a very limited release, also showing at the Regal and Eros theatres,[16] with only 26 prints total.[17] Eventually it started to appear in many more theatres.[18] When initial viewers complained about the film's length, 2 of the 14 song sequences were removed. These were later restored when film goers were found to enjoy all of the songs.[19] Early reviewers of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! predicted that it would be a huge flop; hence the industry was stunned when it went on to become the most successful film of all time up to that point.[20]

Box Office

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! is one of the biggest grossers ever in the history of Hindi cinema, and is said to have changed film business forever in the country.[21] Made on a budget of around INR42.5 million (US$670,000),[22] it went on to collect INR1.23 billion (US$20 million) in India[18] and INR1.35 billion (US$21 million) worldwide.[23] It was the first Hindi film to gross over INR1 billion.[24] Adjusted for inflation, the film has grossed over INR3.1 billion (US$49 million) at the domestic box office.[25] Box Office India gave it the verdict "All Time Blockbuster", and described it as "the biggest blockbuster of the modern era."[26] Much of the success was due to repeat business. For example, painter M. F. Husain was reported to have seen the film over 60 times.[2] Adjusted for inflation, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun is believed to be among the top five highest grossing Hindi films. Its adjusted gross is approximately INR3.09 billion (US$49 million).[27]

Reviews

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! received generally positive reviews. Avinash Ramchandani of Planet Bollywood gave it 4 out of 4 stars and wrote, "No bloodshed, no violence, no gore, no lafra, no nada. Just a simple, well directed entertaining story with excellent songs by Raamlaxman." He also praised the work of the director and choreographer.[28] Carla of Filmi Geek said that despite its length and typical Bollywood humour, the film was "wholesome, delightful, and fun". She observed that the film was full of lovable exaggerated characters, while admitting that other critics have called it "three-and-a-half hours in search of a plot".[29] India Abroad called it a "cloyingly familial and touchingly sad melodrama replete with typical Indian social situations".[5]

Redo, an Indian Spitz, received favourable recognition as Tuffy the dog. He was included in the "Best pets in Hindi films" list compiled by Daily News and Analysis,[30] and selected by Nowrunning.com as one of Bollywood's best animal heroes.[31] After the film, Redo was reportedly adopted by actress Madhuri Dixit.[32]

Accolades

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.[33] The film was nominated for 12 Filmfare Awards, Including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. The film went on to win 5 awards making it one of the biggest winners of the year, behind 1942: A Love Story, which won 9 Filmfares.[34][35] Lata Mangeshkar, who sang more than 10 songs in the movie, had long retired from accepting awards, but the public demand for the song "Didi Tera Devar Deewana" was such that she received the Filmfare Special Award that year.[36]

The film also won major awards at the newly introduced 'Screen Awards', where it won 6 Awards, the most that night.

Award Category Nominee Result
National Film Awards National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.[33] Hum Aapke Hain Kaun Won
National Film Award for Best Choreography Jay Borade Won
Filmfare Awards[34][35] Filmfare Award for Best Film Sooraj R. Barjatya Won
Filmfare Award for Best Director Sooraj R. Barjatya Won
Filmfare Award for Best Actress Madhuri Dixit Won
Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay[37] Sooraj R. Barjatya Won
Filmfare Special Award[36] Lata Mangeshkar Won
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor Mohnish Behl Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress Reema Lagoo Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress Renuka Shahane Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role Laxmikant Berde Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director Raamlaxman Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist Dev Kohli Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer S.P. Balasubramaniam Nominated
Screen Awards Best Film Sooraj R. Barjatya Won
Best Director Sooraj R. Barjatya Won
Best Actress Madhuri Dixit Won
Best Female Playback Lata Mangeshkar Won
Best Screenplay Sooraj R. Barjatya Won
Best Editing Mukhtar Ahmed Won

Analysis

Author Patricia Uberoi classified Aapke Hain Koun..! a family film in two ways; it is about family relationships, and it is suitable for the entire family to watch. She said that the film is not about the two leads, but about the family, an ideal family.[38] Tejaswini Ganti has called the film a "paean to filial duty" for how the children are willing to sacrifice their love for the good of their families.[39] The family relationships are also noted for being different from the normal cinematic families of the time due to their mutual civility.[20] Rediff.com noted that "Though the film was initially dismissed as a wedding video, its success indicated that post-liberalisation, Indian audiences still clung to the comfort of the familiar."[40] Jigna Desai said that the film's popularity was due to interactions of the families around the traditional folk wedding practices.[41] In his study on the response to the film, academic Vamsee Juluri concluded that the celebration of the family is HAHK's "most useful contribution to history".[42]

Legacy and influence

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! is credited as being a defining moment in Hindi cinema's box office history, and the beginning of a revolution in the Indian film distribution system.[16][18] When it was released, cinema was in decline in India due to improved cable television, home video, and film piracy.[6] The film was originally released in only a small number of theatres that agreed to upgrade their facilities. Due to widespread demand for the film, many other theatres upgraded in order to get the film. Although ticket prices were raised, the upgraded theatres brought people back who had been lost to television.[15][18] Also, the film's lack of vulgarity was a sign to middle-class family patrons that they could return to the theatre.[41] This film, in addition to the following year's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, contributed to an increase in Indian cinema attendance of 40% in just two years.[43]

The film was so successful that it literally gave the term blockbuster new meaning in India. Box Office India said, "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! [...] took business for films released afterwards to another level. To put into perspective how business changed [...] before Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! an all India share of 10 crore for a big film was regarded as blockbuster business but after Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! the blockbuster business figure went to 20 crore."[18][lower-alpha 2]

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! influenced many subsequent Hindi films. Avinash Ramchandani observed that the film was released at a time when most Hindi films contained violent plots. He wrote, "This movie changed it all. Since then we have had movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Akele Hum Akele Tum which have continued the trend towards non-violent love stories.[28] The film was also a trendsetter for glamorous family dramas and NRI-related films,[44][45] and started Bollywood's "big-fat-wedding-film" trend.[19] In 1998 a theatre company in London, where the film had played for a year, staged a production based on the film titled Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral.[46] Planet Bollywood has noted that no wedding is complete without some songs from this film,[13] and it has been used as a script to design wedding plans.[6] For years afterwards, women wanted to wear a purple sari like the one worn by Madhuri Dixit in the song "Didi Tera Devar Deewana".[47]

Filmmaker Karan Johar named it as the one film that changed his life. He said, "After seeing Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! I realized Indian cinema is about values, tradition, subtlety, romance. There is so much soul in it. [...] I decided to go ahead and be a filmmaker only after watching this film."[48] Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! belongs to a small collection of films, including Kismet (1943), Mother India (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975), which are repeatedly watched throughout India and are viewed as definitive Hindi films with cultural significance.[49]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ It could also be 185 or 196 minutes, depending on the version.[1]
  2. ↑ INR20 crore (US$3.2 million) at today's exchange rate

References

  1. ↑ "Hum Aapke Hain Koun! (1994)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ganti 2013, p. 98.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bhattacharya, Roshmila (25 February 2014). "Didi Tera Devar Deewana- A song for every season". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  4. ↑ Stringer 2013, p. 263.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Cinema's Biggest Hit Touches Indian Soul". India Abroad. 20 January 1995. Retrieved 25 November 2013. – via Highbeam (subscription required)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lutgendorf, Philip. "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!". South Asian Studies Program, University of Iowa. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Ganti 2012, pp. 287–288.
  8. ↑ Morcom 2007, p. 217.
  9. ↑ "Premalayam's Unbeatable Record". CineGoer. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Hum Aapke Hain Koun (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Kamra, Diksha (16 September 2010). "Folk inspiration for Munni Badnaam". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  12. ↑ "Music Hits 1990-1999 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lall, Randy. "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever — Part 3". Planet Bollywood. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  14. ↑ Banerjee, Soumyadipta (13 March 2013). "Ranveer-Sona starrer to debut at SoBo single screen". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ramnath, Nandini (20 April 2013). "Mumbai Multiplex | Liberty cinema is scripting a new ending". Livemint. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sharma, Sanjukta (13 August 2011). "Cinema | Mumbai ka king kaun?". Livemint. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  17. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (15 June 1998). "Publicity budgets shoot up as producers, stars discover magic of slick promos". India Today. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 "Top Lifetime Grossers 1990-1999 (Figures in Ind Rs)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Reddy, T. Krithika (10 August 2014). "Twenty years on...". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Ganti 2013, p. 134.
  21. ↑ "The Biggest Blockbusters Ever In Hindi Cinema". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  22. ↑ Bamzai, Kaveree (7 July 2003). "Sooraj Barjatya: Bollywood's most profitable filmmaker steps out of the comfort zone". India Today. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  23. ↑ "Top Worldwide Grossers ALL TIME: 37 Films Hit 100 Crore". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  24. ↑ "The 100 Crore Worlwide Grossers: 34 Films Since 1994". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  25. ↑ "All Time Earners Inflation Adjusted (Figures in Ind Rs)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  26. ↑ "The Biggest Blockbusters Ever In Hindi Cinema". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  27. ↑ "Top Lifetime Inflation Adjusted Grossers Worldwide". BoxOffice India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Ramchandani, Avinash. "Film Review — Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (Planet Bollywood)". Indolink.com. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  29. ↑ "Review (Filmi Geek)". filmigeek.com. 6 October 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  30. ↑ Krishna, R. "Best pets in Hindi films". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  31. ↑ Khetarpal, Shery (12 December 2010). "Bollywood's Animal Heroes...". nowrunning.com. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  32. ↑ Chintamani, Gautam (24 February 2012). "Animal Kingdom". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "42nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "The Nominations – 1994". India Times. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "The Winners – 1994". India Times. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Filmfare Special Award". Rediff.com. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  37. ↑ "Best Screenplay Writer". India Times. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  38. ↑ Uberoi 2008, pp. 172-173.
  39. ↑ Ganti 2013, pp. 130-131.
  40. ↑ "The 10 BIGGEST Blockbusters in Hindi Cinema". Rediff.com. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Desai 2003, p. 206.
  42. ↑ Juluri 1999, pp. 231-248.
  43. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (17 January 1996). "Back Top The Movies". Outlook India. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  44. ↑ Soumita Sengupta, Shabdita Shrivastav (10 November 2012). "We Are Family". Box Office India. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  45. ↑ Ahuja, Nitin (9 March 2013). "Return Of The Native". Box Office India. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  46. ↑ "Review: Theatre". The Independent. 16 November 1998. Retrieved 25 November 2013. – via Highbeam (subscription required)
  47. ↑ Doswami, Seema (7 April 2012). "Movie Magic". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  48. ↑ Masand, Rajeev. "The dream merchants: Barjatya & Johar". rajeevmasand.com. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  49. ↑ Mishra 2002, p. 66; Morcom 2007, pp. 139–144.

Bibliography

External links