''Chupke Se'' ( en, Secretly), is a 2003 Bollywood
Romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film, directed by Shona Urvashi. It stars
Zulfi Syed
Zulfi Syed also known as Zulfikar Syed is an Indian model and actor. Syed Zulfi is a former winner of ''Gladrags Manhunt Contest''. He was a contestant in ''Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series), Bigg Boss''.
Biography
Syed was first noticed when he won ' ...
,
Masumeh Makhija
Masumeh Makhija (born 10 October 1994, sometimes credited as Masumi Makhija) is a Canadian actress and model. She was born in Canada. She started her career as a child artist appearing in commercials and TV shows like ''Thoda Hai Thoda ki Zaroora ...
,
Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri (born 10 December 1960) is an Indian actress, known for acting in Hindi, as well as in Telugu and Tamil language films. Her roles in the cult-tragedy film ''Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' (1981) and the drama film ''Tawaif'' (1985) earned h ...
,
Tinnu Anand
Tinu Anand (born Virender Raj Anand, 12 October 1945) is an Indian actor, director, writer and producer in Hindi cinema and a few Telugu and Tamil films.
Early life
He is the son of veteran writer Inder Raj Anand, brother of producer Bittu Ana ...
,
Om Puri
Om Prakash Puri (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Bengali, Kannada,English, Punjabi and one Telugu film, as well as independent and art films and also starred ...
,
Reema Lagoo
Reema Lagoo (born Nayan Bhadbhade; 21 June 1958 – 18 May 2017) was an Indian theatre and screen actress known for her work in Hindi and Marathi cinema. She began her acting career in the Marathi theatre, after which she became a household nam ...
and
Dilip Prabhawalkar
Dilip Prabhavalkar (born 4 August 1944) is an Indian Marathi actor, director, playwright and author. He has a career spanning over four decades in Hindi and Marathi theatre, television and movies. He was awarded the National Film Award for Bes ...
. The film's soundtrack was composed by
Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award.
Bha ...
, while the lyrics were penned by
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
.
Plot
Megha Timghure (
Masumeh Makhija
Masumeh Makhija (born 10 October 1994, sometimes credited as Masumi Makhija) is a Canadian actress and model. She was born in Canada. She started her career as a child artist appearing in commercials and TV shows like ''Thoda Hai Thoda ki Zaroora ...
) is a plain-looking middle-class girl, living with her Mum, Laxmi (
Reema Lagoo
Reema Lagoo (born Nayan Bhadbhade; 21 June 1958 – 18 May 2017) was an Indian theatre and screen actress known for her work in Hindi and Marathi cinema. She began her acting career in the Marathi theatre, after which she became a household nam ...
), and Dad (
Dilip Prabhawalkar
Dilip Prabhavalkar (born 4 August 1944) is an Indian Marathi actor, director, playwright and author. He has a career spanning over four decades in Hindi and Marathi theatre, television and movies. He was awarded the National Film Award for Bes ...
), who is employed as an Income Tax Officer. Her desire is to become a model and a beauty queen. At a party, she is wrongly introduced as Sarika Verma, and meets two eligible young men, Rizwan, and Varun Arya (
Zulfi Syed
Zulfi Syed also known as Zulfikar Syed is an Indian model and actor. Syed Zulfi is a former winner of ''Gladrags Manhunt Contest''. He was a contestant in ''Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series), Bigg Boss''.
Biography
Syed was first noticed when he won ' ...
). She expresses her wish to become a model and is referred to Almera Kochar (
Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri (born 10 December 1960) is an Indian actress, known for acting in Hindi, as well as in Telugu and Tamil language films. Her roles in the cult-tragedy film ''Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' (1981) and the drama film ''Tawaif'' (1985) earned h ...
), who has a reputation of bringing out the best in every model, and making them beauty queens. Almera meets with Sarika / Megha, and accepts her as a student, and makes her sign a contract. What Sarika does not know that she has now become a pawn in a devious plot concocted to protect millions gained by criminal activities on the black market.
Cast
*
Zulfi Syed
Zulfi Syed also known as Zulfikar Syed is an Indian model and actor. Syed Zulfi is a former winner of ''Gladrags Manhunt Contest''. He was a contestant in ''Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series), Bigg Boss''.
Biography
Syed was first noticed when he won ' ...
as Varun Arya
*
Masumeh Makhija
Masumeh Makhija (born 10 October 1994, sometimes credited as Masumi Makhija) is a Canadian actress and model. She was born in Canada. She started her career as a child artist appearing in commercials and TV shows like ''Thoda Hai Thoda ki Zaroora ...
as Megha Timghure/Sarika Mehra
*
Om Puri
Om Prakash Puri (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Bengali, Kannada,English, Punjabi and one Telugu film, as well as independent and art films and also starred ...
as Qasim Khan Qayamat
*
Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri (born 10 December 1960) is an Indian actress, known for acting in Hindi, as well as in Telugu and Tamil language films. Her roles in the cult-tragedy film ''Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' (1981) and the drama film ''Tawaif'' (1985) earned h ...
as Almera Kochar
*
Tinnu Anand
Tinu Anand (born Virender Raj Anand, 12 October 1945) is an Indian actor, director, writer and producer in Hindi cinema and a few Telugu and Tamil films.
Early life
He is the son of veteran writer Inder Raj Anand, brother of producer Bittu Ana ...
as Tiny Kochar
*
Dilip Prabhawalkar
Dilip Prabhavalkar (born 4 August 1944) is an Indian Marathi actor, director, playwright and author. He has a career spanning over four decades in Hindi and Marathi theatre, television and movies. He was awarded the National Film Award for Bes ...
as Babanrao Timghure (Megha's father)
*
Reema Lagoo
Reema Lagoo (born Nayan Bhadbhade; 21 June 1958 – 18 May 2017) was an Indian theatre and screen actress known for her work in Hindi and Marathi cinema. She began her acting career in the Marathi theatre, after which she became a household nam ...
as Laxmi (Megha's mother)
*
Jayant Kripalani
Jayant Kripalani is an Indian film, television and stage actor, director and trainer. He is most known for his role in the TV series, like '' Khandaan'', ''Mr. Mrs'' and '' Ji Mantriji'' (2003). He also wrote the screenplay for Shyam Benegal's f ...
as Anand Arya (Varun's father)
*
Raj Zutshi
Rajendranath Zutshi, more commonly known as Raj Zutshi (born 4 February 1961), is an Indian film and television actor.
Personal life
Zutshi was born on 4 February 1961 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India into a Kashmiri Pandit family. Raj Zu ...
as Sunel
*
Peeya Rai Chowdhary
Peeya Rai Chowdhary is an Indian actress. Peeya Rai was married to model Shayan Munshi, who was a controversial witness in the murder trial of Jessica Lal. in 2006, but separated from him in 2010. She played Lakhi in Gurinder Chadha's '' Bri ...
as Sheetal (Megha's friend)
* Raman Lamba as Rizwan
*
Kurush Deboo
Kurush Deboo (born 12 September 1963) is an Indian actor who has acted in many supporting roles in Hindi films and television series. He was first noticed as Shah Rukh Khan's character's loyal friend in ''Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa''. He is known fo ...
as Shop Manager
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Chupke Se consists of 6 songs composed by
Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award.
Bha ...
, the lyrics of which were written by
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
and
Abbas Tyrewala
Abbas Tyrewala (born 15 May 1974) is an Indian film screenwriter and director. After making his mark as a screenwriter and dialogue writer in early 2000s, with award-winning films like '' Maqbool'' (2003), '' Munnabhai M.B.B.S.'' (2003), he mad ...
.
Critical reception
Taran Adarsh of
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5 saying that, "Director Shona Urvashi gets the technique of film-making right, but is let down by the writing
bbas Tyrewala, Shona herself The script fluctuates from plausible to implausible with regularity and that’s where it falters." Ron Ahluwalia of ''Planet Bollywood'' gave the film a rating of 6 out of 10 saying that, "Chupke Se... is an attempt at an entertaining venture that just doesn't cut it. Ridden by cliches, incongruities, unnecessary use of derogatory language, below average direction and a supersaturated plot, this movie can simply be judged as amateur."
Namrata Joshi
Namrata Joshi is an Indian film critic based in New Delhi. Originally working for ''Outlook'', she remained there from 1999 till 2015, when she joined ''The Hindu''. She won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2004
Career
Joshi is ...
of
Outlook
Outlook or The Outlook may refer to:
Computing
* Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail and personal information management software product from Microsoft
* Outlook.com, a web mail service from Microsoft
* Outlook on the web, a suite of web applications ...
gave the film a rating of 2 out of 5 saying that, "Chupke Se is an earnest first attempt which could have been so much more fun. The gags and pranks don't really sparkle."
References
{{reflist
2003 films
2003 romantic comedy films
Indian romantic comedy films
2000s Hindi-language films
Films scored by Vishal Bhardwaj
Films scored by Ranjit Barot