''Chameli Ki Shaadi'' () is a 1986
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
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee ( bn, বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; 10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chatterjee became associated with what came to be known as mi ...
starring
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
and
Amrita Singh
Amrita Singh (born 9 February 1958) is an Indian actress. Through her films such as ''Betaab'' and '' Mard'', she gained popularity and became a well-known and popular actress in the 1980s. She took a break from acting in the early 1990s for a ...
. Though it was fairly average at the box office due to low cost, it was critically acclaimed. Over the years, the film has developed a cult following and is one of Basu Chatterjee's most popular works.
Summary
The film is a satire on the caste system in India. Charandas is a bachelor who aspires to become a wrestler. He is training under the tutelage of Mastram Pehelwan, who preaches and practices absolute abstinence. Charan has no problem with his life, but his elder brother Bhajandas and his sister-in-law do. The film is also one of the examples of a female-centric movie where Amrita Singh as the young, headstrong, outspoken Chameli, was acknowledged as the star of the film, and her role was later critiqued to be one of the first takes on the realization of feminine desires and domination in Indian cinema.
One day, however, Charandas runs into Chameli, the daughter of Kallumal, a coal-depot owner. The duo start an affair, which is soon exposed and opposed by both the families, because they are from different castes. Charandas has to take the advice of Adv. Harish. How the lovers find their way out of the situation with help of Harish, Mastram and the friends of the duo forms the story.
Plot
Charandas is a fledgling wrestler who lives with Bhajandas. According to Bhajandas, Charandas should marry and start a family of his own. But Charan is hell bent on becoming a wrestler and is even ready to remain a bachelor until 40 as per the norms of Mastram. However, one day, Charan's thoughts are challenged when he sees Chameli at Kallumal's coal depot. He realizes that to marry her, he may have to leave Mastram's Akhara.
Charan does so and seeks help of Adv. Harish, a close friend of his brother. Harish appreciates Charan's love and is ready to help latter. Charan dares to confess his love to Chameli. On other hand, Anita, Chameli's best friend is also convinced of Chameli's true love. The lover duo start meeting secretly. One day, however, the love affair stands exposed when a relative of Chameli spots the duo in a restaurant.
The respective families soon take up cudgels against their wards and make it clear that they won't allow inter-caste marriage. Chameli is kept under house arrest and her parents decide to have her marry one of their acquaintances. Charan learns of this development. Mastram is surprisingly supportive of Charan's love. He explains that just as bachelorhood is a challenge for would-be wrestlers, a lover should not back out from the challenge posed by the world.
Mastram, along with Charan's friends back the lovers to overcome the obstacles. Here, Champa calls in the help of her rogue brother Chhadam Lal aka Chhadmi against Charan. With help of Harish and all his friends, Charan chalks out a plan to rescue Chameli from her house. As per the plan, Charan abducts Chameli from her own house, while Harish sees to it that the duo legally get married. Charan and Chameli are initially frightened, but Harish convinces them by telling them that as long as people do not dare to marry outside the caste like them, Indians will never be truly united.
Meanwhile, on learning that Chameli is missing, her parents lodge a complaint against Charan. They proceed to the place where Charan and Chameli are going to get married. Meanwhile, Bhajandas also comes with his men to disrupt the marriage. Both the parties have arrived late, as Charandas and Chameli are legally husband and wife now. They vent their ire on Harish, who according to them is responsible for corrupting the duo. Harish takes Kallumal aside and explains that if the marriage is permitted by him, he will garner votes of both the castes in the election because his son in law is the leader of all the young people and also has support from the akhads.
Convinced by the argument of Harish, Kallumal relents because of being enticed by the illusion of winning the local election. Similarly, Harish tells Bhajandas that an influential Kallumal is sure to win the elections. If Bhajandas accepts the marriage, he will get special perks for his coal business thanks to Kallumal. Besides, he will get coal and cement at a subsidized rate from Kallumal. Bhajandas goes greedy and relents. In the end, Chameli and Charandas are united with the blessing from both the parties.
Cast
*
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
as Charandas
*
Amrita Singh
Amrita Singh (born 9 February 1958) is an Indian actress. Through her films such as ''Betaab'' and '' Mard'', she gained popularity and became a well-known and popular actress in the 1980s. She took a break from acting in the early 1990s for a ...
as Chameli
*
Amjad Khan as Advocate Harish
*
Om Prakash
Om Prakash (born Om Prakash Chibber 19 December 1919 – 21 February 1998) was an Indian film actor. He was born in Jammu as Om Prakash Chibber and went on to become a well-known character actor of Bollywood. His most well-known movies are Nam ...
as Ustad Mastram Pahalwan
*
Pankaj Kapur
Pankaj Kapur (born 29 May 1954) is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. He has appeared in several television serials and films. He is the recipient of several awards, including a Filmfare Award and three Nat ...
as Kallumal
*
Satyen Kappu
Satyendra Kappu (born Satyendra Sharma; also credited as Satyen Kappu; 7 February 1931 – 27 October 2007), was an Indian character actor in Bollywood films. He has acted in 390 films. His most remembered role is Ramlal in the movie ''Sholay'' ...
as Bhajandas
*
Tabassum
Kiran Bala Govil ( Sachdev; 9 July 1944 – 18 November 2022), known professionally as Tabassum, was an Indian actress, talk show host and YouTuber, who started her career as child actor Baby Tabassum in 1947. She later had a television career ...
as Bhajandas's Wife
*
Bharati Achrekar
Bharati Achrekar is an Indian Marathi and Hindi theatre, film and television actress. She has been a part of several films in Indian cinema and was celebrated as Mrs Wagle from the doordarshan show, ''Wagle ki Duniya''. She is currently starri ...
as Champa
*
Annu Kapoor
Annu Kapoor (born Anil Kapoor; 20 February 1956) is an Indian actor, singer, director, radio disc jockey, and television presenter who has appeared in over a hundred films, as well as television series. His career has spanned over 40 years as a ...
as Chhadamlal
*
Ram Sethi
Ram Sethi (born 15 November 1938), also known as Pyaare-laal, is an Indian actor who works in the Bollywood industry. Sethi has worked in many films as a main or supporting character in his long career of 6 decades.
Biography
Ram Sethi (Pyarel ...
as Nathulal
*
Jayshree T.
Jayshree Talpade (born c. 1953) is an Indian actress and dancer who mostly plays in Bollywood films.
Career
Talpade began her career at age 5 in 1958 with ''Goonj Uthi Shehnai''. She gained popularity when she started performing item dances i ...
as Gulabo
* Ghanshyam Rohera as Fatchat
*
Shail Chaturvedi
Shail Chaturvedi (29 June 1936 – 29 October 2007) was a Hindi poet, satirist, humorist, lyricist and actor from India, most known for his political satire in the 70s and the 80s.
He worked as a character actor in several Hindi films and TV s ...
as Lachchuram Kaphanchi / Makhkhan's father
*
Rupini
Komal Mahuvakar, better known by her stage name Rupini, is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu language films during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She started as a child artist in the Hindi film ...
as Anita, Chameli's friend
Soundtrack
The music was composed by
Kalyanji–Anandji
Kalyanji–Anandji are an Indian composer duo: Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) and his brother Anandji Virji Shah (born 2 March 1933). The duo are known for their work on Hindi film soundtracks, with many evergreen songs ...
and lyrics by
Prakash Mehra
Prakash Mehra (13 July 1939 – 17 May 2009) was a legendary Indian film director and producer known for his work in Hindi films. He was one of the pioneers of masala films, along with Nasir Hussain, and Manmohan Desai. His collaborations with ...
and
Anjaan.
External links
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{{Basu Chatterjee
1986 films
1980s Hindi-language films
Films directed by Basu Chatterjee
Indian romantic comedy films
1986 romantic comedy films
Films scored by Kalyanji Anandji
Films about the caste system in India
Indian satirical films