Paheli | |
---|---|
Directed by | Amol Palekar |
Screenplay by | Sandhya Gokhale |
Story by | Vijayadan Detha Sandhya Gokhale Amol Palekar |
Based on | Duvidha by Vijayadan Detha |
Produced by | Gauri Khan |
Starring | Shah Rukh Khan Rani Mukerji |
Narrated by | Naseeruddin Shah Ratna Pathak |
Cinematography | Ravi K. Chandran |
Edited by | Amitabh Shukla Steven H. Bernard |
Music by | Songs: M. M. Kreem Score: Aadesh Shrivastava |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Eros International |
Release date |
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Running time | 141 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹140 million[1] |
Box office | ₹320 million[1] |
Paheli (translation: Riddle) is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film and is a remake of the 1973 Hindi film Duvidha by Mani Kaul based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani. It was also reported to have been partially inspired by the 1997 Kannada movie Nagamandala based on the play of the same name by Girish Karnad.[2] Directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Juhi Chawla, Aziz Mirza, Sanjiv Chawla, and Shah Rukh Khan, who also portrays the male lead, the film tells the story of a wife (Rani Mukerji) whose husband (Khan) goes on a business trip and is visited by a ghost, disguised as her husband, who is in love with her and takes her husband's place. The supporting cast includes Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla and Suniel Shetty. Detha's story, which had earlier been adapted into the 1973 film by Mani Kaul, is folkloric in origin.[3] Paheli diverges from its source material and the earlier adaptations in giving the plot and its lead female character a more feminist agency.[4]
Paheli opened in the 9th Zimbabwe International Film Festival at the Libertie Cinema Complex in Harare. It was also screened at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.[5] The working title of the movie was Ghost Ka Dost (translates to Friend of a Ghost ). Paheli was India's official entry to the 79th Academy Awards.[6]
Paheli was released on 24 June 2005, and proved to be a moderate commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹32 crore worldwide. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its production design, cinematography, costumes, and special effects; however, its story and screenplay received criticism.
At the 51st Filmfare Awards, Paheli received 2 nominations – Best Lyricist (Gulzar for "Dheere Jalna") and Best Male Playback Singer (Sonu Nigam for "Dheere Jalna"). At the 53rd National Film Awards, the film won Best Female Playback Singer (Shreya Ghoshal for "Dheere Jalna").
Detha's ostensibly simple folktale published in of the 1970s, with its multi-layered texture, has become a favorite for film makers: two veteran film directors - Mani Kaul (who made Duvidha in 1973) and T.S. Nagabharana (made Nagamandala in Kannada, in 1997) before Palekar-Gokhale remade it as Paheli in 2005.