| Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Aziz Mirza |
| Written by | Raaj Kumar Dahima Manoj Lalwani Sanjay Chhel |
| Produced by | Shah Rukh Khan Juhi Chawla Aziz Mirza |
| Starring | Shah Rukh Khan Juhi Chawla |
| Cinematography | Santosh Sivan |
| Edited by | Chandan Arora |
| Music by | Jatin–Lalit |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Eros International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 166 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹13 crores[1] |
| Box office | ₹25.46 crores[2] |
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (transl. Yet, The Heart is Indian) is a 2000 IndianHindi-languagesatirical film[3] directed byAziz Mirza and produced byDreamz Unlimited (now known as Red Chillies Entertainment). The film starsShah Rukh Khan andJuhi Chawla in the lead roles, along withParesh Rawal.Govind Namdev,Satish Shah,Johnny Lever,Dalip Tahil,Mahavir Shah,Shakti Kapoor, andNeena Kulkarni appear in supporting roles. The film's title is derived from the song "Mera Joota Hai Japani" from the 1955 filmShree 420. The film marked the debut production venture of Khan, Chawla, and Mirza under their production company, Dreamz Unlimited. The film won theIIFA Award for Best Special Effects.
Ajay Bakshi is a successful, loudmouthed reporter, working for a reputed news channel, KTV. A rival news channel, Galaxy TV, ropes in Ria Banerjee to bring him down and garner the highest ratings. Ria is the antithesis of Ajay and uses her intelligence, charm and wits to get her work done.
Pappu Junior, alias Choti, is a don who is to be ousted from his own gang, owing to his inability to make it big in the crime world. Ajay approaches Choti with an offer: arrange a fake attack on Minister Ramakant Dua's brother-in-law, Madanlal Gupta, on national television. Choti will earn respect and Ajay's channel will gain ratings. Little does Ajay know that the plan is going to turn too real.
During the public drama, Madanlal is gunned down by an assailant named Mohan Joshi who is arrested immediately as the Police Commissioner declares that Mohan is a foreign terrorist. Minister Ramakant takes advantage of his brother-in-law's death to gain votes and sympathy; he also instigates apogrom to ensure his position in the government.
As the news of the incident begins circulating around India, violent protests begin. Ajay and Ria both start covering the city's riots and start to get along with one another; Ajay's womanizing nature had previously turned off Ria and caused friction between them. As Ria and Ajay are reporting, Mohan escapes jail and seeks shelter in Ajay and Ria's car.
When Mohan confronts them in their car, Ajay hastily accuses him of being a terrorist. Mohan yells that he is not and tells the two his story: Mohan had a happy family with his wife and daughter, Kavita. One day, his daughter went for a job interview at Madanlal's residence and he brutally raped and beat her. She died from the trauma and as no lawyer was willing to fight the case due to the perpetrator's political power, Mohan was left helpless, running from door to door for justice. Hopeless and distraught, he took the law into his own hands and killed the rapist.
Ajay and Ria, who now feel an immense amount of empathy, decide to help Mohan get justice for his daughter. Throughout their journey together, Mohan sees Ajay and Ria as his own children and feels genuine gratefulness towards them, returning the favor by helping them realize their love for each other. Eventually, Ajay and Ria reunite Mohan with his wife, who is extremely happy to see him. Ajay needs a place to store the videotape of Mohan's confession, and decides to give it to his boss and his uncle Kaka. Unfortunately, Minister Ramakant has joined hands with the rival minister Mushran, as he fears that their secrets might come out if Mohan's truth is revealed. Additionally, Ajay's boss forms an alliance with Ria's boss, Chinoy. The ministers and channel heads come together and trick Ajay and Ria into giving them the tape with no intention of giving it back, for their own selfish reasons.
Mohan gets found, and after being arrested, is sentenced to be publicly hung; Ajay and Ria suddenly realized they were tricked and conned by their bosses. Together with Choti, they work to get the tape back from the clutches of the minister. They successfully receive the tape, and Ajay succeeds in broadcasting the confession and story from Mohan just one hour before his execution. Ajay and Ria tearfully plead with the nation to stop this injustice and call on all Indians to rescue Mohan. They succeed, and the entire city, including Ajay's family, gathers to save Ajay from being tortured by the police and save Mohan.
Although the ministers and policemen are desperate to stop the protestors from entering prison grounds, the ACP's force is unable to shoot at the crowd due to them wielding India's flag; they are unable to stop the city from breaching the police barricades. In a blatant mockery and critique of the media's selfish obsession with ratings and views, Mohan is made to wear a shirt sporting the logos of sponsors and companies. Seconds before the execution, Ajay having stormed into the prison ground with Ria and the others, saves Mohan and the protesters beat up the politicians and chase them out, ensuring their careers are over.
The film ends happily as Mohan thanks everyone and Ria proposes to Ajay, who accepts.
| Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | |||||
| Released | 21 January 2000[4] | ||||
| Recorded | 1999 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 33:26 | ||||
| Label | Sony Music | ||||
| Producer | Jatin–Lalit | ||||
| Jatin–Lalit chronology | |||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Planet Bollywood |    [5] |
The music was composed byJatin–Lalit who also composed the background score assisted by their brother-in-lawAadesh Shrivastava. All of the lyrics were written byJaved Akhtar. The music of the film was highly appreciated by critics and the audience alike. Manish Dhamija ofPlanet Bollywood gave 8.5 stars stating, "Overall, the album is a pleasant surprise from Jatin-Lalit".[5] The soundtrack and the song "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" in particular, with its concept of "Love our country", was well-received and praised for its patriotism. AuthorM. J. Akbar highlighted the "very heavy winking" by Khan during his performance of the song, accompanying the evocative lyrics.[6]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" | Udit Narayan | 04:01 |
| 2. | "I'm the Best" (Male Version) | Abhijeet Bhattacharya | 04:19 |
| 3. | "I'm the Best" (Female Version) | Jaspinder Narula | 04:19 |
| 4. | "Banke Tera Jogi" | Sonu Nigam,Alka Yagnik,Lalit Pandit | 04:43 |
| 5. | "Vande Mataram" | Shankar Mahadevan | 04:39 |
| 6. | "Kuch To Bata" | Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Alka Yagnik | 04:32 |
| 7. | "Aur Kya" | Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Alka Yagnik | 05:04 |
| 8. | "Aao Na Aao Na" | Jatin Pandit | 01:53 |
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani grossed₹18.20 crore (US$2.2 million) in India and $1.67 million (₹7.26crore) in other countries, for a worldwide total of₹25.46 crore (US$3.0 million), against its₹13 crore (US$1.5 million) budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of₹7.45 crore (US$880,000), and grossed₹12.50 crore (US$1.5 million) in its first week.[2] It is the13th-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2000 worldwide.[7]
OnUp Close & Personal with PZ, Shah Rukh Khan said that the film "was the biggest failure for Juhi [Chawla], Aziz [Mirza], and him".[citation needed]
It opened on Friday, 21 January 2000, across 240 screens, and earned₹91 lakh (US$110,000) nett on its opening day. It grossed₹2.74 crore (US$320,000) nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of₹5.08 crore (US$600,000) nett. The film earned a total of₹10.74 crore (US$1.3 million) nett, and was declared a flop byBox Office India.[2]
It had an opening weekend of $650,000 (₹2.82crore) and went on to gross $900,000 (₹3.91crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.67 million (₹7.26crore) at the end of its theatrical run.[2]
| Territory | Territory wise Collections break-up |
|---|---|
| India | Nett Gross: ₹10.74 crore (US$1.3 million) |
| Distributor share: ₹5.57 crore (US$660,000) | |
| Total Gross: ₹18.20 crore (US$2.2 million) | |
| International (Outside India) | $1.67 million (₹7.26crore) |
| Worldwide | ₹25.46 crore (US$3.0 million) |
| Awards | Category | Recipients and nominees | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Special Effects | Dreamz Unlimited | Won |
| Best Comedian | Johnny Lever | Nominated | |
| Filmfare Awards | Best Comedian | Nominated | |
| Screen Awards | Best Comedian | Nominated |
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