Lamhe
Encyclopedia
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. It is one of the few films that picked up the Filmfare Award for Best Movie despite its lacklustre business. It was inspired from the 1986 film Anokha Rishta
starring Rajesh Khanna
.
Lamhe was shot in two schedules in Rajasthan and London. Over the years the film has been hailed as a cult classic and is regarded as a modern masterpiece and possibly Yash Chopra
's finest film. It is also one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market and video circuit. Sridevi won a lot of acclaim for her double-role as mother and daughter, winning the Filmfare Best Actress Award
and other awards. The film finds a place in the Times Movie Guide's Top 100 Indian films. It is in the Outlook magazine's list of All-Time Great Indian films.
It has been cited as Yash Chopra's personal favourite of the films he has done.
) who travels to Rajasthan
with his governess
, affectionately called Dai Jaa (Waheeda Rehman
). He meets the beautiful Pallavi (Sridevi) and he instantly falls in love with her. However, she happens to be older than he is, though this does not bother Viren. During a property dispute and a court case, Pallavi's father suddenly dies of a heart attack. She is shattered and goes into isolation. At the wake, Viren goes to console her, when she sees him she runs towards and straight past Viren — towards Sidhharth, the man she loves. Viren is heartbroken but, to fulfill Pallavi's father's dying wish, he arranges the wedding between Sidhharth and Pallavi. Allowing Pallavi to live her life happily, Viren leaves for London
.
One year into the marriage, Sidhharth and Pallavi are killed in an accident. It was revealed that she was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a daughter. The girl is named Pooja and is kept in the care of Dai Jaa. Viren visits from time to time, for Pallavi's death anniversary, and buys gifts for the young Pooja. He never spends any time with her though, which makes her sad. A few years later Viren returns from London and meets the grown up Pooja for the first time. When he meets her he is shocked to see that she looks exactly like her mother. Eventually Viren brings her to London, and it is slowly revealed that Pooja has fallen in love with Viren. He has not forgotten about Pallavi though.
Viren has a friend Prem (Anupam Kher
), who knows that Viren's heart still pines for dead Pallavi. Over the course of time, and much persuasion, slowly Viren hops back to reality engaging himself in work at London. There a girl, Anita, who works along with him falls for him. She knows about Viren's love for Pallavi and constantly tries to gain his attention for herself.
Pooja and Dai Jaa come to London for vacations, and there Anita discovers that Pooja looks the same as Pallavi. This upsets her as she is afraid that Viren will eventually fall for Pooja. Pooja develops feelings for Viren whom she lovingly calls "Kuwarji". Prem also likes Pooja and understands that Pooja loves Viren. Though he likes the match, he is skeptical since Viren is still living in the past.
There are scenes when Pooja and Anita come face to face over the topic of Viren. Eventually Anita insults Pooja as a kid infatuated by Viren and asks what relation Pooja is to Viren that she acts authoritively over him. Pooja retorts back saying that if she is not related to Viren, Anita is not related to him in either. This frustrates Anita leading her to blast Viren over feelings for a younger woman.
Pooja finds a sketch (which Viren has made of her mother) and misunderstands that it is a sketch of her made by Viren. She confronts him and he blasts her saying he had loved her mom and not her. Pooja is heartbroken and decides to return to India. Viren decides to marry Anita since he feels she is right and has been waiting for him for a long time. Pooja cant bear this and decides to get married only on the condition that Viren marries Anita first.
The climax shows a heartbroken Pooja narrating a folk tale to audience in a village show. She suddenly notices Viren in the audience and becomes very happy. Viren eventually realized, after Pooja left London, that he loves her and not her mother anymore, who in fact had never loved him. It turns out that neither of them had gotten married as they said they would, and they are now free to be together.
, known together as Shiv-Hari
and lyrics were provided by Anand Bakshi
. The song "Kabhi Main Kahoon" was made from melody used as background music in Yash Chopra's previous movie Chandni
, also scored by Shiv-Hari. In the famous Parody Sequence, Waheeda Rehman danced to "Aaj Phir Jeene ki Tamanna Hai" — the superhit number from her own classic Guide
.
The songs included on the official soundtrack are listed here:
1992 National Film Awards
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...
and starring Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
and Sridevi. The story was written by Honey Irani
Honey Irani
-Personal life and background:Honey Irani was born into a Zoroastrian family on January 17, 1950. She was married to Javed Akhtar. Although the marriage ended in divorce, it produced two children, son Farhan Akhtar and daughter Zoya Akhtar. Both her children are critically acclaimed Indian...
. The film was critically acclaimed, had exceptional music, and did brilliant business in UK. Unfortunately, it was not a box-office success in India. It is one of the few films that picked up the Filmfare Award for Best Movie despite its lacklustre business. It was inspired from the 1986 film Anokha Rishta
Anokha Rishta
Anokha Rishta is a 1986 film starring Rajesh Khanna in the lead supported by Smita Patil, Sabeehaa, Tanuja, Shafi Inamdar, Satish Shah and Karan Shah...
starring Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
.
Lamhe was shot in two schedules in Rajasthan and London. Over the years the film has been hailed as a cult classic and is regarded as a modern masterpiece and possibly 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 finest film. It is also one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market and video circuit. Sridevi won a lot of acclaim for her double-role as mother and daughter, winning the Filmfare Best Actress Award
Filmfare Best Actress Award
The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
and other awards. The film finds a place in the Times Movie Guide's Top 100 Indian films. It is in the Outlook magazine's list of All-Time Great Indian films.
It has been cited as Yash Chopra's personal favourite of the films he has done.
Plot
The film is about Viren (Anil KapoorAnil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
) who travels to Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
with his governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
, affectionately called Dai Jaa (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...
). He meets the beautiful Pallavi (Sridevi) and he instantly falls in love with her. However, she happens to be older than he is, though this does not bother Viren. During a property dispute and a court case, Pallavi's father suddenly dies of a heart attack. She is shattered and goes into isolation. At the wake, Viren goes to console her, when she sees him she runs towards and straight past Viren — towards Sidhharth, the man she loves. Viren is heartbroken but, to fulfill Pallavi's father's dying wish, he arranges the wedding between Sidhharth and Pallavi. Allowing Pallavi to live her life happily, Viren leaves for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
One year into the marriage, Sidhharth and Pallavi are killed in an accident. It was revealed that she was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a daughter. The girl is named Pooja and is kept in the care of Dai Jaa. Viren visits from time to time, for Pallavi's death anniversary, and buys gifts for the young Pooja. He never spends any time with her though, which makes her sad. A few years later Viren returns from London and meets the grown up Pooja for the first time. When he meets her he is shocked to see that she looks exactly like her mother. Eventually Viren brings her to London, and it is slowly revealed that Pooja has fallen in love with Viren. He has not forgotten about Pallavi though.
Viren has a friend Prem (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...
), who knows that Viren's heart still pines for dead Pallavi. Over the course of time, and much persuasion, slowly Viren hops back to reality engaging himself in work at London. There a girl, Anita, who works along with him falls for him. She knows about Viren's love for Pallavi and constantly tries to gain his attention for herself.
Pooja and Dai Jaa come to London for vacations, and there Anita discovers that Pooja looks the same as Pallavi. This upsets her as she is afraid that Viren will eventually fall for Pooja. Pooja develops feelings for Viren whom she lovingly calls "Kuwarji". Prem also likes Pooja and understands that Pooja loves Viren. Though he likes the match, he is skeptical since Viren is still living in the past.
There are scenes when Pooja and Anita come face to face over the topic of Viren. Eventually Anita insults Pooja as a kid infatuated by Viren and asks what relation Pooja is to Viren that she acts authoritively over him. Pooja retorts back saying that if she is not related to Viren, Anita is not related to him in either. This frustrates Anita leading her to blast Viren over feelings for a younger woman.
Pooja finds a sketch (which Viren has made of her mother) and misunderstands that it is a sketch of her made by Viren. She confronts him and he blasts her saying he had loved her mom and not her. Pooja is heartbroken and decides to return to India. Viren decides to marry Anita since he feels she is right and has been waiting for him for a long time. Pooja cant bear this and decides to get married only on the condition that Viren marries Anita first.
The climax shows a heartbroken Pooja narrating a folk tale to audience in a village show. She suddenly notices Viren in the audience and becomes very happy. Viren eventually realized, after Pooja left London, that he loves her and not her mother anymore, who in fact had never loved him. It turns out that neither of them had gotten married as they said they would, and they are now free to be together.
Cast
- Anil KapoorAnil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
as Viren - Sridevi as Pallavi/Pooja
- Waheeda RehmanWaheeda RehmanWaheeda 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 Dai Jaa - Anupam KherAnupam KherAnupam 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 Prem - Dippy Sagoo as Anita Malhotra
- Manohar SinghManohar SinghManohar Singh was a distinguished Indian theatre actor-director and a character actor in Hindi films. He is best known for his performances in films such as Party and Daddy...
as KothiWale Thakur (Pallavi's father) - Lalit Tiwari as Sudheshwar Narayan Tiwari
- Deepak Malhotra as Siddharth Bhatnagar
- Ila ArunIla ArunIla Arun is a popular Indian actress, TV personality and a Rajasthani folk/folk-pop singer with a unique, husky voice and a penchant for folk-pop fusion. Her daughter is Ishita Arun.-Early life:She was born and brought up in the state capital of Jaipur...
as Gypsy - Richa PallodRicha PallodRicha Pallod is an Indian model and film actress who has featured in regional Indian films. After appearing as a child artiste, she appeared in an award-winning role in Nuvve Kavali, her first film in Telugu. She has appeared in several low-budget Hindi films with her most notable appearance being...
as Young Pooja - Vikas Anand as Doctor
Reception
Lamhe divided the audience on a class basis. It was hugely popular with metropolitan elites and the overseas market, which allowed it to break even, but it had a poor box-office response with the Indian mass market because of its supposed incest theme.Music
The music of Lamhe was composed by Shiv Kumar Sharma and Hariprasad ChaurasiaHariprasad 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:...
and 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...
. The song "Kabhi Main Kahoon" was made from melody used as background music in Yash Chopra's previous movie Chandni
Chandni
Chandni is a Hindi film released in 1989. The film stars Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna, and was directed by Yash Chopra....
, also scored by Shiv-Hari. In the famous Parody Sequence, Waheeda Rehman danced to "Aaj Phir Jeene ki Tamanna Hai" — the superhit number from her own classic Guide
Guide (film)
Guide is a 1965 Hindi film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It was directed by Vijay Anand, who also contributed to the screenplay. The film is based on the critically acclaimed novel, The Guide, by R. K. Narayan, and is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Indian film...
.
The songs included on the official soundtrack are listed here:
| Song | Singer(s) |
|---|---|
| "Yeh Lamhe" | Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... |
| "Yeh Lamhe (Sad version)" | Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... |
| "Mhaare Rajasthan Ma" | Moinuddin Moinuddin Moinuddin, is a male Muslim name composed of the elements Muin, meaning helper and ad-Din, meaning of the faith. It may refer to*Mu'in ad-Din Unur , ruler of Damascus*Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti , Sufi saint... |
| "Mohe Chhodo Naa" | 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... |
| "Churiyan Kanak Gayee (contains excerpts of 'Mhaare Rajasthan Ma' in the introduction)" | 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... and Ila Arun Ila Arun Ila Arun is a popular Indian actress, TV personality and a Rajasthani folk/folk-pop singer with a unique, husky voice and a penchant for folk-pop fusion. Her daughter is Ishita Arun.-Early life:She was born and brought up in the state capital of Jaipur... |
| "Churiyan Kanak Gayee (sad version)" | 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... |
| "Kabhi Main Kahoon" | 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... and Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... |
| "Meha Re Megha" | 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... |
| "Yaad Nahin Bhool Gaya" | 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... and 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 :... |
| "Gudiya Rani" | 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... |
| "Meri Bindiya" | 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... |
| "Freak Out (Parody Song)" | Pamela Chopra and Sudesh Bhosle |
| "Moments of Rage (Dance music)" | |
| "Moments of Passion (Dance music)" |
Awards
1992 Filmfare AwardsFilmfare 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...
- Best FilmFilmfare Best Movie AwardThe Filmfare Best Film Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years...
- Yash Chopra - Best ActressFilmfare Best Actress AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
- Sridevi - Best ComedianFilmfare Best Comedian AwardThe Filmfare Best Comedian Award was given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a comic role....
- Anupam Kher - Best StoryFilmfare Best Story AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Story is an given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a writer who wrote a film's story.-1950s:* 1955 Mukhram Sharma - Aulad...
- Honey Irani - Best DialogueFilmfare Best Dialogue AwardThe Filmfare Best Dialogue Award is given by the Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Here is a list of the award winners since 1958 and the films for which they won.-Superlatives:Most AwardsGulzar - 4...
- Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza - Nominated Best Director - Yash Chopra
- Nominated Best Actor - Anil Kapoor
- Nominated Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Waheeda Rehman
1992 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...
- Best Costume DesignNational Film Award for Best Costume DesignThe National Film Award for Best Costume Design winners:...
- Neeta Lulla