Chandni

Chandni

Chandni (Hindi,Translation: "Moonlight") is a Hindi film released in 1989. The film stars Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna. The film is directed by Yash Chopra

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'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 it`s producers. 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 Award for Best Film for that year.

Synopsis

Chandni and Rohit are engaged to be married. 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 as soon as he arrived and she is once again surrounded by silence though this time it is twinged by an unnerving feeling something has happened. Seconds later, to her reassurement, 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 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 from the waist down and his family continue to berate her. Finally, in a gut wrenching scene, Rohit drives Chandni away for good by accusing her of exactly the same thing and she leaves, not knowing 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 sing with joy on 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 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 reminds 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 and yet again they encounter each other and to spare Lalit they pretend to be strangers. 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 Chandni belongs to Rohit and she was the person Rohit was singing about in Switzerland.

Cast

    * Vinod Khanna ... Lalit Khanna

    * Rishi Kapoor ... Rohit Gupta

    * Sridevi ... Chandni

    * Waheeda Rehman ... Mrs. Khanna (Lalit's mom)

    * Sushma Seth ... Mrs. Gupta (Rohit's mom)

    * Anupam Kher ... Ramesh (Cameo)

    * Juhi Chawla ... Devika (Cameo)

Awards

1990 Filmfare Awards

    * Nominated, Best Actress - Sridevi

    * Nominated, Best Film

    * Nominated, Best Director-Yash Chopra

    * Nominated, Best Actor- Rishi Kapoor

    * Nominated, Best Music- Shiv Hari

    * Nominated, Best Lyrics-Anand Bakshi - Lagi Aaj Sawan

    * Nominated, Best Singer-Suresh Wadkar - Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki

    * Won, Best Cinematography - Manmohan Singh

    * Won, National Award, Best Hindi film - Yash Chopra