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| Kaho Naa ... Pyaar Hai | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Rakesh Roshan |
| Screenplay by | Ravi Kapoor Honey Irani |
| Story by | Rakesh Roshan |
| Produced by | Rakesh Roshan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kabir Lal |
| Edited by | Sanjay Verma |
| Music by | Rajesh Roshan |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films Eros International (Overseas) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 177 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹10crore[1] |
| Box office | ₹80crore[1] |
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (transl. Say It... You're In Love) is a 2000 IndianHindi-languagemusicalromanticaction film written, directed, and produced byRakesh Roshan. The film marks the debut ofHrithik Roshan andAmeesha Patel, and features a supporting cast that includesAnupam Kher,Dalip Tahil,Mohnish Bahl,Ashish Vidyarthi,Satish Shah,Farida Jalal, Asha Patel, Rajesh Tandon, andTannaz Irani. The film integrates action, suspense, and musical elements. The interval twist and the second half of the film draws thematic inspiration from the 1986Kannada filmRatha Sapthami.[2][3] The narrative follows Sonia and Rohit, whose blossoming romance is tragically cut short. Sonial later encounters Raj, Rohit's lookalike, in New Zealand and the two work together to uncover the truth behind Rohit’s death.
Principal photography took place acrossIndia andNew Zealand, with cinematography by Kabir Lal. The soundtrack was composed byRajesh Roshan with lyrics byIbrahim Ashk andSaawan Kumar Tak, and became one of the best-selling Bollywood soundtracks of the year.
Released theatrically on 14 January 2000,Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai received generally positive reviews, with particular praise directed at Hrithik Roshan’s dual-role performance and the music. Some critics, however, criticised the screenplay for its reliance on familiar tropes. The film emerged as a major commercial success, grossing over ₹800 million (US$17.8 million) worldwide, and ranked as thehighest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
The film earned widespread recognition at award ceremonies, winning 92 awards across various platforms—a record acknowledged by theGuinness World Records in 2002 and theLimca Book of Records.[4][5][6][7] At the46th Filmfare Awards, it won eight awards, includingBest Film,Best Director (Rakesh Roshan),Best Actor andBest Male Debut (Hrithik Roshan)—the latter becoming the only actor to win both categories for the same film. The success of the film catapulted Hrithik Roshan to instant stardom, with the media terming his debut phenomenon as "Hrithik Mania".[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai was re-released on 10 January 2025 to commemorate the film's twenty-fifth anniversary, coinciding with Hrithik Roshan's 51st birthday and celebrating the enduring legacy of the film and its lead actors.[15][16][17][18]
Rohit, a talented but struggling singer who works at a car showroom, lives with his younger brother Amit. The two were orphaned young and raised with kindness by their childless neighbors, Lily and Anthony. During his work, Rohit meets Sonia, the daughter of wealthy industrialist Mr. Saxena. Despite their different backgrounds, they become close friends, and Sonia is drawn to Rohit’s charm and sincerity.
On a cruise organized by Sonia’s friend Atul, who is also the son of Rohit’s boss, Shakti Malik, tensions rise when Sonia becomes jealous of the attention Rohit receives from other girls. After a drunken quarrel, Rohit and Sonia drift away in a lifeboat and are stranded on a deserted island. Initially, their clashing personalities spark conflict, with Rohit taking the situation more seriously than Sonia. But when Sonia tricks him into believing that she is drowning, Rohit jumps in to save her despite his own lack of swimming skills, and he starts drowning in real. Realising this, she saves him. This moment makes them realize their deep feelings for each other. Their bond grows, and love blossoms.
Days later, Saxena rescues them but disapproves of their relationship due to Rohit having a lower-class family background, causing Rohit to lose his job. However, Rohit clarifies that he hasn't eloped since it would be beneath their love to do so, but will marry Sonia only after proving himself independent. Moved, Saxena slowly begins to accept him. Determined, Rohit records a song with help from Atul and friends to launch his career. Unknown to many, Shakti and Saxena secretly run a drug cartel with corrupt policemen Kadam and Shinde. On the night of his debut concert, while heading to pick up Amit from school to take him to his concert, Rohit accidentally witnesses the commissioner’s murder by Malik, Shinde, and Kadam. Brutally attacked but alive, he flees, only to be killed by drowning when his sabotaged motorcycle crashes over the highway into the water below. His corpse is never found.
Sonia is grief-stricken, and Amit becomes mute due to Rohit's death. As a result, Sonia's father sends his daughter to New Zealand to stay with her uncle. There she meets Raj Chopra, her cousin’s best friend, who looks strikingly like Rohit, coincidentally having good singing skills too. Though Sonia first suspects he might be Rohit, Raj is revealed to be a different man who was born and raised in New Zealand and has never been to India in his life. Raj falls in love with Sonia, but she constantly runs away from him, making it harder for her to let go of her grief. Upon being confronted, Sonia shows Rohit's photographs to Raj, shocking him to the core about the resemblance. Later, Raj follows Sonia to India, only to be sighted and shot by Shinde, who mistakes him for Rohit. Surviving, he grows suspicious of Rohit's death by thinking that Rohit's death was likely a murder rather than an accident.
Raj then meets Rohit's family and friends, including Amit and Rohit’s best friend Tony, who all help him and Sonia investigate. Eventually, Amit, traumatized since the killing, reveals that Malik acted under orders from an unseen figure called “Sirjee.” Raj uses music to revive Rohit’s canceled show, forcing the criminals out of hiding. When Sonia’s father betrays them to Malik, Raj narrowly escapes another attempt on his life.
In the climax, Sonia is kidnapped by the same killers of Rohit, but Raj rescues her and kills the corrupt policemen, avenging the death of Rohit. Malik confesses to murdering Rohit, but is killed before he can reveal the mastermind. Rohit then picks up Malik's phone and later exposes Saxena himself as “Sirjee,” the true leader of the cartel. Arrested, he confesses to his crimes.
In the aftermath, Raj returns to New Zealand with Amit. Sonia, having found closure and fallen in love again, confesses her love toward Raj, and their engagement is joyfully celebrated.
WhenKaho Naa... Pyaar Hai was initially conceptualized, directorRakesh Roshan considered castingShah Rukh Khan in the lead role. However,Hrithik Roshan reportedly objected to his father’s repeated collaborations with established actors and encouraged him to cast a newcomer instead. Rakesh Roshan ultimately chose to cast Hrithik, marking his son’s acting debut.[20]
The film was officially launched in 1998 with Hrithik Roshan andKareena Kapoor as the leads. Kapoor withdrew from the project shortly after the launch, reportedly due to a misunderstanding between her mother,Babita, and Rakesh Roshan.[21] The role was subsequently offered toAmeesha Patel, who was cast within three days, owing in part to the Roshan family's longstanding acquaintance with Patel’s family.[22]
The cruise scenes were filmed aboard the luxury vesselStar Flyer.[23] The island sequences were shot inKrabi,Thailand, near the well-knownKhao Phing Kan (commonly referred to as James Bond Island).[24] Portions of the song "Na Tum Jano Na Hum" and additional scenes were filmed across locations inNew Zealand, particularlyChristchurch andQueenstown.[25]
Hrithik Roshan revealed in a 2001 interview that he nearly drowned while filming the sequence depicting Rohit's death. The scene required him to remain submerged forty-five feet underwater for over three hours without breathing apparatus.[26] In a 2025 interview marking the film’s 25th anniversary and its theatrical re-release, co-star Ameesha Patel echoed the incident, stating that Roshan risked his life during the shoot due to the extended time underwater without oxygen support.[27] She further revealed that Roshan sustained a serious back injury while filming the climax sequence as Raj. During a stunt involving a leap, he fell and was hospitalized at around 3:00 a.m. The injury required complete bed rest and rehabilitation, resulting in a six-month delay in the film’s final schedule.[28]
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai emerged as a major commercial success and emerged as the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2000.[29] It opened to packed theaters across India and quickly developed strong word-of-mouth, particularly due toHrithik Roshan's rising popularity, dubbed "Hrithik Mania" in the media. The film completed over 100 days in multiple centers and was declared a "blockbuster" byBox Office India.
Domestically, the film grossed approximately ₹620 million (US$13.8 million in 2000), with an additional ₹180 million (US$4 million) from overseas markets, bringing its worldwide total to around ₹800 million (US$17.8 million).[7][8] At the time of its release, it ranked among the top ten highest-grossing Hindi films in Indian box office history.
According toBox Office India, when adjusted for inflation, the film remained one of the top performers of the decade. As of 2011, it ranked as the 11th highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time (adjusted for inflation),[30] and the sixth highest-grossing film of the 2000s in India.[31]
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise directed atHrithik Roshan’s debut performance, the film's music, and its production values. However, some reviewers noted that the storyline followed conventional tropes and lacked originality.
Filmfare rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and remarked, "Rakesh Roshan has come up with a winner. A racy script, excellent product values and taut editing result in a storyline that keeps the audience hooked throughout. The music is also good, especially the title song and numbers such as 'Ek Pal Ka Jeena' and 'Chand Sitaare'. Hrithik is very good in the action and dance sequences, and proves his acting calibre in his very first film.Ameesha Patel too performs well."[32]
Sabiha Kalolwala ofThe Indian Express praised the film's broad entertainment appeal, writing, "Rakesh Roshan has been smart enough to make a film which encompasses all the facets of acting—drama, action, romance, thrill, comedy and tragedy, all of them enacted pretty well by Hrithik Roshan." On the soundtrack, she noted, "There is not even one song which is not enjoyable."[33]
Anupama Chopra ofIndia Today described the film as a high-gloss entertainer, stating, "Rakesh has taken the routine love-story, added a thriller twist and narrated it with style.KNPH isn't about path-breaking craft, it's about blockbuster presentation. Rakesh's sweat and money are apparent in every frame." However, she criticized the antagonist subplot, writing, "What doesn't work is the tired villain track... The plot is as stale as the performances."[34]
Kanchana Suggu ofRediff.com called the film a "great entertainer" and praised Hrithik Roshan’s performance in dual roles: "The ease and style with which he dances, emotes, fights, makes one forget this is his debut film. He's had to essay two different characters, and he's done justice to both." She further complimented the cinematography, music, and direction.[35]
Several reviewers and media outlets noted that the plot twist—where the male lead dies midway through the film and the female lead later encounters a lookalike abroad—was inspired by the 1986 Kannada filmRatha Sapthami.[36][37]
The film's soundtrack was composed byRajesh Roshan, with lyrics written byIbrahim Ashk,Saawan Kumar Tak, and Vijay Akela. The album features playback vocals byUdit Narayan,Alka Yagnik,Lucky Ali,Kumar Sanu,Babul Supriyo, andAsha Bhosle. In the film, different singers were used to represent the two male characters: Narayan and Sanu primarily lent their voices to the character of Rohit in the first half, while Ali and Supriyo provided vocals for Raj in the second half. The dance sequences were choreographed byFarah Khan.
Two of the songs from the film, "Chand Sitare" and "Dil Ne Dil Ko Pukara," were noted for their musical similarities to the track "Voices" by Greek composerVangelis. The instrumentalmotif from "Voices" is particularly evident throughout "Dil Ne Dil Ko Pukara."[38][39]
The soundtrack achieved massive commercial success, with estimates suggesting it sold between 8.5 and 10 million units. It was one of the best-selling Bollywood soundtracks of the 2000s and contributed significantly to the film’s popularity.[40]
The 2002Hindi-languageromantic filmNa Tum Jaano Na Hum, starringHrithik Roshan,Esha Deol, andSaif Ali Khan, derived its title from the song "Na Tum Jano Na Hum" featured inKaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.
The choreography of the song "Ek Pal Ka Jeena" became particularly notable for its signature hook-step, which went on to become closely associated withHrithik Roshan and is often cited as one of his defining dance moves.[56][57] The hook-step from the film's title track "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai" also gained popularity and became a recognizable routine inBollywood dance culture. Additionally, Roshan’s performance in "Dil Ne Dil Ko Pukara" further cemented his reputation as one of the most accomplished dancers in the Hindi film industry. Over time, several songs from the film have attained cult status and continue to be remembered as iconic tracks in Hindi cinema.[58][59]
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