 |
| Seeta Aur Geeta | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ramesh Sippy |
| Written by | Salim–Javed |
| Produced by | G. P. Sippy |
| Starring | Hema Malini Dharmendra Sanjeev Kumar Roopesh Kumar Manorama Satyen Kappu Honey Irani Pratima Devi |
| Cinematography | K. Vaikunth |
| Edited by | M. S. Shinde |
| Music by | R. D. Burman |
Release date |
|
Running time | 162 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi[1] |
| Budget | ₹40 lakh ($53,000) |
| Box office | est. ₹19.53 crore ($22.82 million) |
Seeta Aur Geeta (Seeta And Geeta)[a] is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) and directed by Ramesh Sippy. Released in India on 3 November 1972, the film stars an ensemble cast of Hema Malini (in a dual role), Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Roopesh Kumar, Manorama, Satyen Kappu, Honey Irani, and Pratima Devi. The music was composed by R. D. Burman.
The story is about identical twins (portrayed by Hema Malini) who are separated at birth and grow up with different temperaments. After they meet each other as adults, they swap places (like The Prince and the Pauper). The two sisters' lovers in the film are portrayed by Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar, while Manorama portrays the villainous aunt.
The theme of the film was inspired by the 1967 blockbuster Ram Aur Shyam, which inspired Salim-Javed to write Seeta Aur Geeta.[2] Ram Aur Shyam is itself a remake of the 1964 Telugu film Ramudu Bheemudu. The film subverted the formula by having the heroine eventually become the "hero" while the male lead is in a mostly supporting role.[3] An earlier film with a similar theme was Muqabala (1942), starring Fearless Nadia.
The film became a major hit, both in India and abroad in the Soviet Union.[4] Hema Malini won her only competitive Filmfare Best Actress Award of her career, while K. Vaikunth won the Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award.[citation needed] Malini was noted for the novelty of her role as Geeta, where she is rambunctious and sometimes violent.
The film was remade in other languages, which includes the Telugu film Ganga Manga (1973) and the Tamil film Vani Rani (1974), both starring Vanisri in the double roles. The subsequent Hindi remakes of the story have been made, including Geetaa Mera Naam (1974) starring Sadhana, Jaise Ko Taisa (1973) starring Jeetendra, Chaalbaaz (1989) starring Sridevi, Kishen Kanhaiya (1990) starring Anil Kapoor, Judwaa (1997) starring Salman Khan, and Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (1998) starring Kajol, in the double roles.
- ^ Aḵẖtar, Jāvīd; Kabir, Nasreen Munni (2002). Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780195664621. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
JA: I write dialogue in Urdu, but the action and descriptions are in English. Then an assistant transcribes the Urdu dialogue into Devnagari because most people read Hindi. But I write in Urdu.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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Chintamaniwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Singh, Prabhat (18 October 2016). "Hardly a stranger in Moscow". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
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