Lekin...

Lekin...
Film poster
Directed byGulzar
Written byGulzar
Based onKshudhit Pashaan
by Rabindranath Tagore
Produced byLata Mangeshkar
Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Bal Phule
StarringVinod Khanna
Dimple Kapadia
CinematographyManmohan Singh
Edited bySubhash Sehgal
Music byHridaynath Mangeshkar (music)
Gulzar (lyrics)
Release date
  • 11 October 1991 (1991-10-11)
Running time
171 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Lekin... (transl. But...) is a 1991 Hindi drama mystery film, loosely based on the 1895 short story Kshudhit Pashaan (Hungry Stones) by Rabindranath Tagore and directed by Gulzar. It stars Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Amjad Khan, Alok Nath, and Beena Banerjee, and features a special appearance by Hema Malini. The film tells the story of Reva, a restless ghost who seeks liberation and haunts the ancient palace of Raja Param Singh in Rajasthan when she is discovered by Sameer, a museum curator sent by the government to salvage valuables in the region. As she recreates a visual representation of the history of the palace which reveals her tragic story, Sameer becomes determined to help set her free.[2]

Produced by Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar (and co-produced by Hridaynath Mangeshkar and Bal Phule), the film took four years to release in theaters. It opened to positive reviews, with particular praise directed at Dimple Kapadia's performance. The soundtrack, composed by Hridaynath, was well-received, with Lata's rendition of "Yaara Seeli Seeli" becoming particularly popular. At the 38th National Film Awards, the film won five awards, a record for that year, including Best Music Direction for Hridaynath, Best Female Playback Singer for Lata, and Best Lyricist for Gulzar. At the 37th Filmfare Awards, the film won the Best Lyricist award, and Kapadia was nominated for Best Actress for her performance.

  1. ^ "Lekin". British Board of Film Classification. 10 October 1991. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1999, p. 498.