''Ahista Ahista'' () is a 2006 Indian

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

-language

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

starring

Abhay Deol Abhay Singh Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside one Kannada and one Tamil film. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic c ...

Soha Ali Khan Soha Ali Khan Pataudi Khemu (born 4 October 1978) is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and English films. She is the daughter of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and th ...

and

Shayan Munshi Shayan Munshi is an Indian actor and model. He made his debut in the 2003 Bollywood film Jhankaar Beats and has performed in award-winning films such as ''The Bong Connection'' and ''Carnival''. Shayan has hosted Television series like ''Cook Na ...

. It was released in August 2006. This film marks the directorial debut of

Shivam Nair Shivam Nair is an Indian film and television director and editor who is best known for his television serial '' Sea Hawks'' and his 2006 film, '' Ahista Ahista''. Nair has been working in the television industry since 1982, and has been involve ...

with a story adapted from

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

's 1848 short story, ''

White Nights White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to: * White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles * White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held in ...

'', on which an earlier

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

film ''

Chhalia ''Chhalia'' is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Manmohan Desai. It stars Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Pran, Rehman and Shobhna Samarth. The story is loosely based on the 1848 short story "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but is ...

'' was also based. Nair and Imtiaz Ali had earlier directed a telefilm ''Witness'' for Star Bestsellers, with the same story.

Plot

Ankush Ramdev scrapes a living by acting as a witness in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

's marriage registrar bureau. Megha has run away from her home in

Nainital Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...

, to marry her love Dheeraj. On the day of their marriage, Dheeraj does not show up. However, Ankush helps Megha by getting her a job at a local old age home so that she has the security of a roof over her head. As time passes Megha begins to realize her potential as an educated girl who had earlier dedicated her life to her boyfriend and that relationship, thinking that there was nothing more to her. She tells Ankush that she is glad Dheeraj stood her up at the Marriage Bureau, so that she could discover herself. Ankush realizes that the meager amount he earns each day is not enough for him. He still has to repay the loan he had taken for Megha. He starts working as a bank's representative who opens bank accounts for a commission. He is later able to repay the loan. On learning this, Megha reprimands him for doing so much for a girl who was a stranger to him. However, Ankush believes he has changed for the better because of Megha and her faith in him. Life progresses well for Ankush. Soon he gets an offer to join the same bank as an Area Supervisor, at a handsome salary. Ankush hesitates, as fluent English is a pre-requisite. Megha gives him the confidence to realize that all he needed was an opportunity in life to succeed. A relationship develops between Megha and Ankush. However, Dheeraj then returns, looking for Megha. Ankush tries to force Dheeraj to return to Nainital. He unsuccessfully tries everything that he can. He even shows Dheeraj a fake death certificate of Megha, but Dheeraj refuses to believe it. One day Ankush's friend informs Dheeraj of Megha's whereabouts on the same day Megha and Ankush have planned to get married. On seeing Dheeraj, she gets upset at him and asks him to leave. Dheeraj agrees, but he also insists her to listen to what had happened to him when he was coming to Delhi from Nainital. He was then the victim of a plan to bomb the train but somehow escaped. Megha realizes that what Dheeraj did was not intentional. Megha talks to Ankush and tells him that she cannot live without Dheeraj and finally Ankush realizes that he is just a friend to her. Ankush then becomes the witness for the marriage of Dheeraj and Megha but asks for his regular fees, severing all connections with them.

Cast

as Ankush Ramdev *

as Megha *

as Dheeraj Ansaria * Shakeel Khan as Ankush's friend * Kamini Khanna as Ankush's friend's Ammi * Sohrab Ardeshir as father *

Richa Chadda Richa Chadda (born 18 December 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. After debuting in a small role in the comedy film ''Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!'' (2008), Chadda's breakthrough came in 2012 with a supporting role in the noir gangs ...

as interviewer *

Ashwin Chitale Ashwin Chitale is an Indian actor. He won the national award for best child actor for his performance in the film Shwaas (2004) a Marathi language movie. Chitale belongs to Pune. He has played the role of Govinda in the Nagesh Kukunoor directed Hi ...

* Murad Ali as Chawl Owner *

Brijendra Kala Brijendra Kala is an Indian actor who works in Bollywood films. He is known for his subtle portrayals of characters rooted in reality. He gained attention for his small roles in mainstream cinema. Early life Kala spent his childhood in Mathu ...

as PCO Owner *

D. Santosh D. Santosh (born 26 September 1976) is an Indian film and theatre actor from Trichy, Tamil Nadu who works in Hindi films and theatre plays. Early life Santosh was born on 19 September 1976. He is an engineering graduate from PSG Tech, Coimb ...

as Pipney (Ankush's roommate) *

Himesh Reshammiya Himesh Reshammiya (born 23 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, music director, songwriter, film & music producer and actor in Hindi cinema. He started his career as music director in the film '' Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya'' in 1998 and made ...

as himself - special appearance

Music

#"Ishq Ne Tere Ishq Ne" -

K. K. Krishnakumar Kunnath (23 August 1968 – 31 May 2022), popularly known as KK, was an Indian playback singer. Regarded as one of the best and most versatile singers in India, he recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, M ...

, Jayesh Gandhi #"Dil Lagiya Na Lagiya" - K. K.,

Sunidhi Chauhan Sunidhi Chauhan (pronounced ; born 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer. Born in Delhi, she began performing in local gatherings at the age of 5 and made her career debut at the age of 13, with the film ''Shastra'' (1996). During the ye ...

#"Tanha Tere Bagair (Remix)" - K. K., Sunidhi Chauhan #"Ishq Ne Tere (Remix)" - Jayesh Gandhi, K. K. #"Love You Unconditionally (Remix)" - Himesh Reshammiya #"Allah Karein....." - Himesh Reshammiya #"Dil Naiyyo Mane Re" -

Tulsi Kumar Tulsi Kumar Dua popularly known as Tulsi Kumar is an Indian playback singer, radio jockey, musician, and actress in the Bollywood industry. She was born to businessman Gulshan Kumar who was the owner of T Series and Great Singer and his wife ...

, Himesh Reshammiya #"Tum Jo Mile Armaan Jage" -

Kunal Ganjawala Kunal Ganjawala (born 14 April 1972) is an Indian playback singer whose songs are mostly featured in Hindi and Kannada films. He has also sung in Marathi, Bengali and other official languages of India. Kunal began his career by singing jingl ...

#"Aawan Ankhiyan Jaawan Aankhiyaan" - Jayesh Gandhi, Himesh Reshammiya, Aftab #"Love You Unconditionally Soniye" - Himesh Reshammiya #"Ahista Ahista (Remix)" - Himesh Reshammiya #"Ahista Ahista (Unplugged)" - Himesh Reshammiya #"Allah Kare (Unplugged)" - Himesh Reshammiya #"Allah Kare (Remix)" - Himesh Reshammiya #"Dil Naiyyo Mane Re (Remix)" - Himesh Reshammiya, Tulsi Kumar #"Tum Dil Mein Sharik Huye" - Himesh Reshammiya

References

External links

* {{Filmography of Imtiaz Ali 2000s Hindi-language films 2006 films Films based on White Nights Films scored by Himesh Reshammiya Films scored by Abhishek Ray Films set in Delhi Films set in Uttarakhand 2006 directorial debut films Hindi-language romance films 2000s romance films