| ChaalBaaz | |
|---|---|
 Promotional Poster | |
| Directed by | Pankaj Parashar |
| Written by | Rajesh Mazumdar Kamlesh Pandey |
| Produced by | A. Poorna Chandra Rao |
| Starring | Sridevi Rajinikanth Sunny Deol |
| Cinematography | Manmohan Singh |
| Edited by | Afaque Husain |
| Music by | Laxmikant–Pyarelal |
| Distributed by | Lakshmi Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 155 mins |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est. ₹15 crore (equivalent to ₹160 crore or US$19 million in 2023)[1] |
ChaalBaaz (Hindi pronunciation: [tʃaːlbaːz], transl. Trickster) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language slapstick film directed by Pankaj Parashar and written by Rajesh Mazumdar and Kamlesh Pandey. It stars Sridevi in dual roles, with Rajinikanth and Sunny Deol. The film revolves around twin sisters Anju and Manju, who get separated at birth. Anju lives with her malicious uncle who plans to seize her property and traumatizes her by beating. On the other hand, Manju grows up amidst a slum environment and is a tomboy.
The film was loosely an adaptation of the film Seeta Aur Geeta and had its story written by Rajesh Mazumdar. It was produced by A. Poorna Chandra Rao under the Lakshmi Productions banner. The duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal composed the soundtrack with lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. Manmohan Singh handled the cinematography while Afaque Hussain served as the editor.
Upon its release, ChaalBaaz was well received by critics and audiences alike, and emerged a commercial success, eventually becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1989. It had a net gross of about ₹8 crore (US$960,000). Among the elements of the movie that were highly appreciated included the film's story, music and Sridevi's performance in the dual role, which is considered to be one of her best. At the 35th Filmfare Awards, the film received three nominations and won two awards: Best Actress (Sridevi) and Best Choreographer (Saroj Khan). It was remade in Kannada as Rani Maharani (1990).