Paheli (2005)

A folk tale - supernatural love story about a ghost who falls in love with a newlywed woman.

Director:

Amol Palekar

Writers:

Vijayadan Detha (novel), Vijayadan Detha (story)

Stars:

Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Anupam Kher

5 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shah Rukh Khan	...	Kishanlal / Ghost
Rani Mukerji	...	Lachchi
Anupam Kher	...	Bhanwarlal
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Male Puppet (voice)
Ratna Pathak Shah	...	Female Puppet (voice) (as Ratna Pathak)
Amitabh Bachchan	...	The Shepherd (Special Appearance)
Sunil Shetty	...	Sunderlal (Special Appearance)
Juhi Chawla	...	Gajrobai
Dilip Prabhavalkar	...	Kanwarlal
Nina Kulkarni	...	Mrs. Bhanwarlal
Padma Rani	...	Bhanwarlal's aunt
Sharvari Jamenis
Rajpal Yadav	...	Bhoja
Aditi Govitrikar	...	Kamli
Palak Jain

Storyline

Parsimonious Bhanwarlal is a Bania (businessman) who lives in Navalgarh, Rajasthan, along with his wife; his sons Sunderlal and Kishanlal; Sunderlal is married to Gajrobai and has a son. During the annual camel race, Sunderlal loses the race to the Thakur and out of shame leaves home, never to return. Now Kishanlal has come of age and is married to Lachchi. But on the very next day of the marriage, he must leave for Jamnagar to expand business, and can return only after 5 years. A tearful Lachchi bids him goodbye, but to her pleasant surprise he returns within a few days, and informs his dad that he met a holy sage who had instructed him to return as he will find five gold coins every morning. Pleased with this, Bhanwarlal does not object to Kishanlal's return. After four years, it is now time for the camel race again, and this time Bhanwarlal's camel wins, much to the chagrin of the Thakur who suspects witchcraft. Then Lachchi gets pregnant and on the day of the child's birth the ...

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | wedding night | village chief | magic | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

A folktale... a story of eternal love... of precious moments... of a woman and her dreams...

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Red Chillies Entertainment [India] (English)

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

24 June 2005 (India)

Also Known As:

Riddle

Filming Locations:

Film City, Goregaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$632,000, 26 June 2005

Gross USA:

$1,409,499

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,415,975

Company Credits

Production Co:

Red Chillies Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paheli had good opening and saw 90% occupancy, however the collections of the film quickly dropped.

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Quotes

The Shepherd: [narrating] A folktale... a love story about a woman named Lachchi. Like a rainbow, Lachchi's love was many-splendoured. But there was one obstacle in this love story - Lachchi's lover was a ghost...

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Connections

Version of Duvidha (1973)

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Soundtracks

Dhire Jalna - Instrumental
Composed by M.M. Keeravani
Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

User Reviews

At last a movie that doesn't look to the west for inspiration...

I am a bit sick of all the movies that Bollywood that has been churning out recently with an emphasis on skin show and a story line that follows a course of some not so great to begin with Hollywood movie. With that in mind, movies like Swades, Black and now Paheli at least leave some hope that not all film-makers are out of ideas. Paheli as many may know is based on an Indian novel 'Duvidha' by Vijay Detha. The novel centers on a love story between a ghost and a woman whose husband leaves her on the night of their marriage to go on a business trip. Amol Palekar took over the reigns for this telling, which is the novels second bow on the big screen. I must admit this is the first time that I have seen a movie directed by Palekar, and he has left me with a good taste so I'm sure to rummage through some movie store looking for more of his work. The story is a might unbelievable, but it is told in a simple way and no attempt is made to make the viewer believe such things actually happen. I think thats what really helps here, there is no painful drawn out explanation of why things are so, the story is just presented and the audience is allowed to believe what they may. And judging from the reaction I saw most people in the theater really enjoyed the movie. The performances are really strong. Rani is great first a rejected bride and then a woman who finds true love with a ghost. Also for me Anupam Kher as the greedy family patriarch really stands out with his comedic act, had me cracking up at regular intervals. SRK, well I already said I was a big fan, and this performance is just another one to add to win column. Where I don't think this is one of the finest performances of his career, it should at least appease those who are always accusing him of lacking versatility. Yeah I mean really every other actor has won an award for Best Villain, a Critics Award and a plethora of Best Actor awards for their monotonous work. A great movie, something different and definitely one well worth the watch.