Are you tired of all the over-the-top action movies? Well, back in early 1994, the Indian audience felt the same way. But then, things changed, and HOW!
"Hum Aapke Hain Koun" turns 30 this year!
This remake, yes, a remake, changed Indian cinema forever! A thread🧵
When @rajshri adapted Keshab Prasad Mishra's Hindi novel "Kohbar ki Shart" into a film, they made a small change: they altered the novel's ending.
This adaptation became "Nadiya Ke Paar," which was released on Jan 1, 1982.
"Nadiya Ke Paar," directed by Gobind Moonis in the Awadhi language, found success in the Hindi heartland due to its appealing storyline.
Interestingly, Gobind Moonis is credited with discovering a certain @MadhuriDixit when she was in the 12th standard!
Gobind Moonis believed that @MadhuriDixit would be suitable for @rajshri's upcoming movie "Abodh."
However, it's worth noting that her acting debut was actually in the TV show "Bombay Meri Hai."
Nadiya Ke Paar starred @SachinPilgaonkr, @SadhanaGunja, Inder Thakur, among others, with music by Ravindra Jain, the film was moderately successful.
Nonetheless, its fortunes were significant for @rajshri.
The various sub-dialects of Bhojpuri and Avadhi, spoken across Eastern and Western UP and Bihar, often blur the lines between them.
Therefore, the language used in Nadiya Ke Paar is mix of Awadhi, Bhojpuri, and Hindi. That said, several people including Sooraj Barjatya say that the film is in the Awadhi language
While the entirety of Hum Aapke Hain Koun was based on Nadiya Ke Paar (except for the posh setting), one particular aspect of Nadiya Ke Paar might have played a critical role. 👇
Nadiya Ke Paar was released in 1982, 7 years before Maine Pyaar Kiya, which marked the directorial debut of Sooraj Barjatya.
He was in search of a story, but eventually decided to listen to his father Raj's idea of remaking Nadiya Ke Paar.
The logic behind remaking Nadiya Ke Paar was simple: the film, in Awadhi, had not been seen by the majority of Indians.
Its simple storyline had a pan-Indian appeal if approached slightly differently.
Thus, the "longest marriage video" of all time was born!
Inspired by Keshab Prasad Mishra's Hindi novel Kohbar ki Shart and Rajshri's Nadiya Ke Paar, SM Ahale crafted HAHK with a modern twist.
Instead of featuring a farmer and a doctor in rural India like Nadiya Ke Paar, HAHK portrayed a businessman and a professor in urban India!
Nadiya Ke Paar depicted rural life.
Film critic MK Raghavendra says, HAHK represented the arrival of post-liberalisation economic era in Hindi films. He says "Hindi cinema did away with poor as principal subjects of film narratives & began focusing exclusively on the rich..."
In the song "Yeh Mausam Ka Jadoo Hai Mitwa," we see a sophisticated Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit driving in what seems like a rural environment, but in a jeep.
Contrastingly, in Nadiya Ke Paar, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sadhana Singh are seen traveling on a bullock cart!
Sooraj Barjatya was impressed by Renuka Shahane in Surabhi & signed her for the crucial role of Bhabhi in his film.
In Nadiya Ke Paar, the role of Bhabhi was portrayed by actor Mitali.
@renukash had it in her film contract that Surabhi shooting would be her first priority!
MF Hussain watched Hum Aake Hain Koun more than 73 times & produced a series of paintings inspired by the film. He became known as Madhuri Fida Hussain after this!
These paintings can be seen in @rajshri office, where Sooraj Barjatya's interviewed with @anupamachopra
Did someone say Didi Tera Devar is their favourite song? Check this out👇
Director-producer Karan Johar is a devoted fan of HAHK.
In his autobiography "An Unsuitable Boy," he reflects on how the movie was a turning point in his life. He says, "Everyone who bitched about Hum Aapke Hain Koun was not a good person for me. It was my way of judging them as people."
Such was Karan Johar's love for the film that he says he the following in his autobiography👇
It is widely believed that HAHK played a significant role in bringing audiences back to the theaters. In His book, @diptakirti notes, in Bombay's Liberty Cinema Mr. Bharjatya noticed a person with a medical drip attached. The patient said that the film calmed him better than any treatment!
Hum Aapke Hain Koun had a unique release strategy.
@anupamachopra says "producers held back the film from a simultaneous release on video as a hedge against inevitable piracy. It was released in limited theaters with hiked-up ticket prices which further piqued audience curiosity"
The music for Hum Aapke Hain Koun was composed by Raamlaxman.
Originally, the duo Vijay and Surendra composed music under the name Raam-Laxman. After Mr. Surendra's passing in 1976, Vijay Patil continued to compose under the modified name Raamlaxman.
Both Nadiya Ke Paar and Hum Aapke Hain Koun adhered to the supposed @rajshri rulebook.
As @mayankw14 notes in his article "no anti-hero— ‘circumstance is the villain’. Violence, if necessary, must not exceed, ‘14 punches’." openthemagazine.com/voices/hum-aap…
In Hum Aapke Hain Koun, @BeingSalmanKhan's brother, played by Mohnish_Bahl, is depicted as a painter, as is @renukash.
However, no such hobbies are portrayed in Nadiya Ke Paar.
What's really interesting is that @BeingSalmanKhan is actually a hobby painter himself!
Keshab Prasad Mishra's novel Kohbar ki Shart was out of print for a long time & didn't benefit from the massive success of the movies it inspired.
The good @AbhishekChoudhary tells us that the book is back in print!
The editor of @RajkamalBooks, @satya_nirupam confirmed that "2014 में नई साज-सज्जा में, नए आकार में प्रिंट हुआ।"
Director @MiraPagliNair has said that her film Monsoon Wedding was partially inspired by HAHK.
In fact, the @nyuniversity-based scholar Gayatri Gopinath has dubbed Monsoon Wedding as the "Diasporic translation of Hum Aapke Hain Koun."
To be technically precise: Nadiya Ke Paar is a filmy translation of Kohbar ki Shart; HAHK is an urbane translation of Nadiya Ke Paar; and Monsoon Wedding is a "Diasporic translation of HAHK." Therefore, Monsoon Wedding is a diasporic-urbane-filmy translation of Nadiya Ke Paar!
It's interesting to note that if you search for Nadiya Ke Paar, you might come across the 1948 Dilip Kumar starrer of the same name.
The only connection we could find with HAHK is that Dilip Saab's magnum opus, Mughal-e-Azam, was released on August 5th, the same day as HAHK!
Our friend @ofnosurnamefame has unearthed two fascinating connections between Nadiya Ke Paar and HAHK through two shows: The Fame Game and Guilty Minds.
The Fame Game marks the OTT debut of Madhuri Dixit, while Guilty Minds marks the OTT debut of Sadhana Singh.
Interestingly, Sadhana Singh played the mother of Sachin’s daughter Shriya Pilgaonkar in Guilty Minds, establishing a direct link between the two films.
The connections come full circle!
@ofnosurnamefame The actor Saahila Chaddha who played an interesting role where she is confused for "Shakuntala" in Hum Aapke Hain Koun. The actor Saahila starred in the Kannada film Africadalli Sheela.
@ofnosurnamefame Sahila Chadha is known for playing "Shakuntala" in Hum Aapke Hain Koun.
She starred in Africadalli Sheela, a Kannada film inspired by Sheena-Queen of the Jungle known for riding a Zebra!
Due to the unavailability of a zebra, they painted black & white stripes on a horse.👇
@ofnosurnamefame Finally, what are your favorite aspects of Hum Aapke Hai Koun?
Have we missed any interesting facts?
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