Chandni
Encyclopedia
Chandni is a Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

 film released in 1989. The film stars Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...

 and Vinod Khanna
Vinod Khanna
-Early life:Khanna was born to Kamla and Kishanchand Khanna, a textiles, dyes and chemicals businessman of Hindu Punjabi Khatri origin, on 6 October 1946, in Peshawar, British India . He has three sisters and one brother...

, and was directed by Yash Chopra
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...

.

Chandni was a blockbuster in 1989 and is one of the most successful films of Indian cinema. The huge profits of this musical brought an end to director Yash Chopra
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...

's lean phase. The platinum success of its music was instrumental in ending the era of violence in Bollywood and bringing back music into Hindi films. The film reaffirmed Sridevi's position as the top female star of the Eighties. It also prolonged Rishi Kapoor's fading career and reassured that he was still profitable as a lead hero for its producers. The film also provided a boost for Vinod Khanna's career since he returned to Bollywood. Sridevi's white costumes became popular as the 'Chandni Look' and the songs of the film are still a rage. The lush locales of Switzerland in the film made it a popular tourist destination.

The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film of that year.

Plot

Rohit meets Chandni at a wedding of his relative, and falls instantly in love with her. He pursues her relentlessly until she agrees to date him, and eventually they become engaged to be married. His family is very much against this because of the differences in their social status, but Rohit doesn't care.

One day, Rohit calls Chandni and asks her to wait for him on the terrace of her house, which she does. As she's waiting the afternoon's silence is broken by the roaring blades of a helicopter and there in the sky Rohit appears who proceeds to shower Chandni in red rose petals. He disappears from her vision and she is once again surrounded by silence, though this time she has an unnerving feeling something has happened. Seconds later, Chandni hears the phone ringing and runs to it with trembling excitement knowing it is Rohit. It is not and she is given the news that Rohit is in hospital. Faced with stony expressions of Rohit's family in the hospital she is instantly accused of being the reason why Rohit fell from the helicopter. From there the family's animosity continues towards Chandni as Rohit is paralysed on his right side and his family continues to berate her. Finally, in a gut wrenching scene, Rohit drives Chandni away for good by accusing her of exactly the same thing. She leaves, not knowing that Rohit, no longer able to stand the taunts towards Chandni, on purpose drove a wedge between them thinking as long as he is in a wheelchair he would never be able to protect her.

Chandni, intent on erasing every memory of Rohit, decides to move to Mumbai in order to turn over a new leaf. She starts working for a travel agency which is headed by Lalit, a handsome and charming man, but like Chandni he too has heartaches of his own hidden deep within. In a short space of time he falls in love with Chandni and asks her to marry him. She dwells on this question and finally says yes to the exultation of both himself and his mother. Coincidentally Lalit, on a business trip in Switzerland, meets Rohit who is there to receive treatment for his paralysis and now no longer needs the wheelchair. The men tell each other their stories and sing with joy of love, not knowing they are both singing about the same girl.

Back in India Rohit shows up one evening at Chandni's door and to her utter amazement he stands up and does a little dance. Both are so overwrought with emotion at seeing each other again that Rohit proposes to her. Chandni remembers Lalit and informs Rohit she now belongs to someone else. Taken aback, Rohit becomes angry and says she will always belong to him, to which Chandni reminds him of that fateful day of their separation and asks him what he would have done if he had been in her place? Rohit mourns the memory and leaves with a regrettable shrug of his shoulders.

As Rohit and Lalit had become such good friends in Switzerland, Lalit invited his friend to his wedding and prior to this day Lalit invites Chandni to meet this new friend. Rohit and Chandni pretend to be strangers to spare Lalit. On the day of the wedding, Rohit under the influence of alcohol to drown out what is going to take place today, stumbles down a flight of stairs leading to the wedding procession; but moments before his gaze became locked with Chandni's and both remembered days gone by. The fall results in a hysterical Chandni screaming for Rohit to be saved and as Lalit looks on he realises that Chandni belongs to Rohit and she was the person Rohit was singing about in Switzerland. In the end, he lets Chandni go to be with Rohit.

Cast

  • Sridevi as Chandni
  • Rishi Kapoor
    Rishi Kapoor
    Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...

     as Rohit Gupta
  • Vinod Khanna
    Vinod Khanna
    -Early life:Khanna was born to Kamla and Kishanchand Khanna, a textiles, dyes and chemicals businessman of Hindu Punjabi Khatri origin, on 6 October 1946, in Peshawar, British India . He has three sisters and one brother...

     as Lalit Khanna
  • Waheeda Rehman
    Waheeda Rehman
    Waheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...

     as Mrs. Khanna (Lalit's mom)
  • Sushma Seth
    Sushma Seth
    Sushma Seth is an Indian film, television, and stage actress. She started her career in the late 1970s, and has been known for playing the mother and the grandmother in movies and television. She is most known as the role of Dadi in pioneering TV soap Hum Log . She is also a theatre actor and...

     as Mrs. Gupta (Rohit's mom)
  • Anupam Kher
    Anupam Kher
    Anupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...

     as Ramesh (Cameo)
  • Juhi Chawla
    Juhi Chawla
    Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...

     as Devika (Cameo)

Music

The music of Chandni was composed by Shiv Kumar Sharma and Hariprasad Chaurasia
Hariprasad Chaurasia
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is an Indian classical instrumentalist. He is a player of the bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute. Chaurasia is a classicist who has made a conscious effort to reach out and expand the audience for classical music.-Early life:Hariprasad Chaurasia was born in...

, known together as Shiv-Hari
Shiv-Hari
Shiv-Hari refers to the Indian music director duo of Shivkumar Sharma, an eminent Santoor player and Hariprasad Chaurasia, a virtuoso flutist. The duo has worked on Indian classical music pieces as well as major Indian movie scores.-Classical:...

. The song lyrics were provided by Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10...

. In addition to the songs listed below, there was a recurring instrumental love melody, not part of a full song. That melody was further developed into the song "Kabhi Main Kahoon" for Chopra's next movie Lamhe
Lamhe
Lamhe is a 1991 Hindi film directed by Yash Chopra and starring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. The story was written by Honey Irani. The film was critically acclaimed, had exceptional music, and did brilliant business in UK. Unfortunately, it was not a box-office success in India...

, also scored by Shiv-Hari.

Songs included in the film:
Song Singer(s)
"Mere Haathon Mein" Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...

"Mehbooba" (Shehron Mein Se Shehar Suna) Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...

, Vinod Rathod
Vinod Rathod
Vinod Rathod, the son of singer Pandit Chhaturbhuj Rathod, is a Bollywood playback singer. He has sung in numerous popular Bollywood films including Chal Mere Bhai, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Mission Kashmir and Baazigar....

"Main Sasural" Pamela Chopra
"Mitwa" (Tere Mere Honton Pe) Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...

, Babla Mehta
"Aa Meri Jaan" Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...

"Dance Music" Instrumental
"Chandni O Meri Chandni" Sridevi, Jolly Mukherjee
Jolly Mukherjee
Jolly Mukherjee is an Indian singer/songwriter. Known as India's "King of Strings", Mukherjee specializes in the music of Bollywood, or the Indian film industry. He started his career as a backup singer for commercials, then moving on to writing music for airline on-flight introductions, where he...

"Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki" Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Ishwar Wadkar is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films.He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films and in Konkani.- Early life :...

"Parbat Se Kaali" Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...

, Vinod Rathod
Vinod Rathod
Vinod Rathod, the son of singer Pandit Chhaturbhuj Rathod, is a Bollywood playback singer. He has sung in numerous popular Bollywood films including Chal Mere Bhai, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Mission Kashmir and Baazigar....

"Tu Mujhe Suna" Nitin Mukesh
Nitin Mukesh
Nitin Mukesh is an Indian singer best known for his work as a playback singer in Hindi films as well as Bhajans. He was born to Mukesh...

, Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Ishwar Wadkar is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films.He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films and in Konkani.- Early life :...


Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...

  • Nominated, Best Movie
  • Nominated, Best Director - Yash Chopra
  • Nominated, Best Actress - Sridevi
  • Nominated, Best Actor - Rishi Kapoor
  • Nominated, Best Music - Shiv-Hari
  • Nominated, Best Lyrics - Anand Bakshi - Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki
  • Nominated, Best Male Singer - Suresh Wadkar - Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki
  • Won, Best Cinematography - Manmohan Singh

National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...

  • Won, Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
    National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
    The National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment winners:1981 to 1984 and 1992, 1986 & 1977 No Award was given....

    - Yash Chopra
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK