''Kya Kehna'' ( en, So well said) is a 2000 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 ...
romantic drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
. Written by
Honey Irani
Honey Irani is an Indian actress and screenwriter, who works in Hindi cinema. She started her career as a child actor with roles in films such as Mahesh Kaul’s Pyar ki Pyas. She was probably four to five years old when the shooting of the ...
, it was directed by
Kundan Shah
Kundan Shah (19 October 1947 – 7 October 2017), was an Indian film director and writer.
He is known for his comedy classic ''Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983) and his 1986–1987, TV series ''Nukkad'' with Saeed Akhtar Mirza.
Biography
Kundan Shah ...
and released on 19 May 2000 at a budget of . ''Kya Kehna'' dealt with the
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
issue of pre-marital pregnancy and society views on the same, and stars
Preity Zinta
Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English literature, English honours and criminal psychology, Z ...
in the central role as a single teenage mother, with
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Khan ma ...
,
Chandrachur Singh
Chandrachur Singh (born 11 October 1968) is an Indian actor, who mainly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of a Filmfare Award, in addition to receiving nomination for an International Indian Film Academy Awards, IIFA Award and a Screen ...
,
Farida Jalal
Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...
and
Anupam Kher in supporting roles. This is the first of several films where Zinta and Khan acted together.
''Kya Kehna'' was filmed back in 1997 and was supposed to release in 1998. In fact, this film was supposed to be Zinta's debut film and she even began shooting for it, but due to some unknown reasons and delays, it was postponed to 2000. Therefore, several of Zinta's films were released before this film, including two of her
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
films, and especially ''
Dil Se..'' (1998), which ended up becoming her debut film. Upon its theatrical release, it was positively reviewed by critics. Zinta's performance and Irani's story writing was highlighted. The music was composed by
Rajesh Roshan
Rajesh Roshan Lal Nagrath (born 24 May 1955) is an Indian Hindi cinema music director and composer. He is the son of music director Roshan and singer Ira Roshan.
Personal life
Rajesh Roshan has a Punjabi Hindu father and Bengali Brahmin m ...
. ''Kya Kehna'' was an
unexpected success earning worldwide. At the
46th Filmfare Awards, Irani won the
Best Story category, with Zinta and Singh receiving nominations for
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
and
Best Supporting Actor respectively.
Plot
Priya Bakshi (
Preity Zinta
Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English literature, English honours and criminal psychology, Z ...
) is the bubbly, free-spirited daughter of Gulshan (
Anupam Kher) and Rohini Bakshi (
Farida Jalal
Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...
). Priya's parents, brothers, and best friend, Ajay (
Chandrachur Singh
Chandrachur Singh (born 11 October 1968) is an Indian actor, who mainly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of a Filmfare Award, in addition to receiving nomination for an International Indian Film Academy Awards, IIFA Award and a Screen ...
) love and support her. Ajay is secretly in love with Priya and wishes to marry her in the future.
Priya enters her first year of university and quickly catches the eye of wealthy playboy Rahul (
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Khan ma ...
), who becomes attracted to her. She succumbs to his charm but Ajay and her brother Vicky (
Mamik Singh
Harmeet Singh Mamik popularly known as Mamik (born 3 May 1963) is an Indian actor, who works on television and has also worked in a few Bollywood movies. He is best known for his roles in films like ''Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar'' (1992), ''Kya Kehna ...
) are unsure about Rahul. His reputation and womanizing ways worry them, and they warn her to stay away from him. However, Priya believes that Rahul is in love with her, and the two begin a relationship and have sex. Priya convinces her parents to meet Rahul, but when they prematurely talk about marriage and the future, he mocks them and leaves Priya. Priya is heartbroken but tries to move on with her life. She later learns that she is pregnant with Rahul's child. Her parents go back to Rahul to talk about marriage once again. He acknowledges that he is the father but still does not want to marry Priya. Rahul's mother also berates Priya's family, believing that they are looking for financial compensation. Priya is faced with a decision, and she chooses to keep the child. Her decision prompts her father to willfully banish her from the house due to the shame. Alone and neglected, Priya is devastated. However, her family later finds it hard to live without her and they bring her back, supporting her during her pregnancy.
Priya goes back to university, where she is shunned due to her pregnancy and 'spoiled' character. Rahul's mother, who is part of the university's board of directors, tries to convince the other parents that Priya should be expelled due to her character. Ostracised by friends, neighbours, and society, Priya realises Ajay's love and dedication for her.
The university holds a year-end performance, where a group of students put on a play that mocks and vilifies Priya and her pregnancy. After the play, Priya makes a passionate speech about love, honour, and respect. She tells the audience about how she isn't the only one to blame for her pregnancy, and how she decided to let her baby live and enjoy life. Her words move many in the audience, including Rahul. Her friends apologise to her, and she gains the support of the community. Later, Ajay declares his love for Priya and desires to marry her. However, Priya worries whether Ajay will accept her and her unborn child. Ajay tells her he is fully willing to accept both her and her child as his own. Unknown to Priya and Ajay a remorseful Rahul approaches Priya's family and reveals he is ready to apologise and raise his and Priya's child together to which they agree. Priya water breaks before she can answer Ajay's proposal and she goes to the hospital to give birth, where she's joined by Rahul and her family.
At an event to celebrate the birth of Priya's baby, Rahul proposes to Priya, stating that he is ready for marriage and to raise their child. Ajay wishes them well and begins to walk away. However, Priya rejects Rahul and confesses her love for Ajay, asking him whether he's still willing to accept her and her child, Ajay agrees to this. Rahul accepts Priya's decision, wishes them well, and leaves.
Cast
*
Preity Zinta
Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English literature, English honours and criminal psychology, Z ...
as Priya Bakshi
*
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Khan ma ...
as Rahul Modi
*
Chandrachur Singh
Chandrachur Singh (born 11 October 1968) is an Indian actor, who mainly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of a Filmfare Award, in addition to receiving nomination for an International Indian Film Academy Awards, IIFA Award and a Screen ...
as Ajay
*
Anupam Kher as Gulshan Bakshi
*
Farida Jalal
Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...
as Rohini Bakshi
*
Rita Bhaduri
Rita Bhaduri (4 November 1955 – 17 July 2018) was an Indian film and television actress.she has also work in Gujarati cinema.
Career
She initially appeared as supporting actress in various Bollywood films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 199 ...
as Ajay's Mother
*
Mamik Singh
Harmeet Singh Mamik popularly known as Mamik (born 3 May 1963) is an Indian actor, who works on television and has also worked in a few Bollywood movies. He is best known for his roles in films like ''Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar'' (1992), ''Kya Kehna ...
as Vicky (Priya's brother)
*
Puneet Vashisht Puneet is an Indian name and it may refer to
* Puneet Beniwal, Indian actor
* Puneet Bisht, Indian cricketer
* Puneet Datey, Indian cricketer
* Puneet Issar, Indian actor
* Puneet Mehra, Indian cricketer
* Puneet Nath Datt, Indian army officer
* ...
as Bobby (Priya's brother)
*
Nivedita Bhattacharya
Nivedita Bhattacharya (born 21 July 1970) is an Indian actress. She was born in Lucknow.
She is an actress who has acted on television and in films.
Filmography
* ''Kya Kehna'' (2000) - Preity Zinta's sister-in-law
* '' Darr @ the Mall'' (2 ...
as Priya's Sister-In-Law
*
Amit Mistry
Amit Mistry (12 January 1974 – 23 April 2021) was an Indian actor drama, film and television actor. He had appeared in a number of tele serials, drama as well as films. He is mostly known for his appearance in Tenali rama, A Gentleman and Saat ...
as Priya's brother
*
Navneet Nishan
Navneet Nishan (also known as Navnit Nishan, Navnit or Navnit Singh) (born 25 October 1965) is an Indian actress. She is best known for her role as Tara in the soap opera '' Tara'', and '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay''. She has also worked in the TV ...
as Tara Seth (Rahul's mother)
*
Rajeev Verma
Rajeev Verma (born 28 June 1949) is an Indian actor. He has worked in film and television.
Early life
Rajeev Verma is a veteran Indian actor who works mainly in film and television.
Verma was born in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh, India. He ob ...
as Rahul's Father
*
Deven Verma
Deven Verma (23 October 1937 – 2 December 2014) was an Indian film and television actor, particularly known for his comic roles, with Bollywood directors like Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar. He also produced and directed fi ...
as Rustom
*
Suresh Chatwal
Suresh Chatwal was an Indian film actor who has performed in films as well as television serials. He has acted in Hindi films. mainly as supporting actor. He has worked in movies like '' Mili'', ''Phool Aur Kaante'', ''Kaya Palat'','' Uphaar' ...
as Gulati, school's Vice Principal
*
Rohitash Gaud
Rohitash Gour (born 24 March 1966) is an Indian actor best known for his leading character in the TV sitcoms '' Lapataganj'' and '' Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai!''. He has also acted in films like ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'', ''Kya Kehna'', ''Munna Bhai ...
as College Student participating in Drama (Guest role)
Music
The soundtrack of the film contains 8 songs. The music is given by
Rajesh Roshan
Rajesh Roshan Lal Nagrath (born 24 May 1955) is an Indian Hindi cinema music director and composer. He is the son of music director Roshan and singer Ira Roshan.
Personal life
Rajesh Roshan has a Punjabi Hindu father and Bengali Brahmin m ...
, with lyrics by
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Asrar ul Hassan Khan (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000), better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in India's Hindi language film industry. He wrote Hindustani lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks.
He was ...
. According to the Indian trade website
Box Office India
Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014.
About
Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its owne ...
, with around 20,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's seventh highest-selling. The title song "Kya Kehna" is lifted from Neil Sedaka's Single "Oh Carol".
Reception
Box office
The film was a box office success and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2000, and was declared a "super hit" in India. The film's success was unexpected, and it was therefore described as a
sleeper hit
In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little promo ...
.
Critical reception
Vinayak Chakravorty of ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia.
It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "The basic premise of ''Kya Kehna!'', then, definitely had the potential of being a gripping family entertainer. Unfortunately, somewhere down the line, you feel as if most people associated with the film somehow lost interest." He noted, however, Zinta as "the bright spot of the film". Aradhika Sekhon of ''
The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers:
United States Daily California
*''Oakland Tribune''
* ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo)
*'' San Gabriel Valley Tribune''
Indiana
*''Kokomo Tribune''
*'' Peru Tribune''
* ''The Trib ...
'' wrote, "The film itself has several flaws but the issues that it tackles are real. The director takes a straight, hard look at the problems of today and holds them up for exhibition. The Indian tendency is to sweep uncomfortable issues under the carpet but if films like ''Kya Kehna!'' continue to be made, at least, we'll be forced to confront them." Mimmy Jain of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'', in a positive review, commended Shah for making "a sensitive film, on a sensitive subject", calling ''Kya Kehna'' "a film that should have been made years ago". She further noted Zinta as being "dazzlingly good" in her part.
''
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
'', in a three-star review, wrote that the film is "worth a watch" and attributed its success to Zinta's "very convincing performance". Sharmila Taliculam from ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' was critical of the film, concluding, "Apart from the climax, the film is no big deal." Namita Nivas of ''
Screen
Screen or Screens may refer to:
Arts
* Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing
* Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry
* Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
'' shared similar sentiments, writing that "there is nothing unusual or different about ''Kya Kehna'' as the makers have been claiming for a long time", but she, too, praised Zinta for her "brilliant performance".
Awards
;
46th Filmfare Awards:
Won
*
Best Story –
Honey Irani
Honey Irani is an Indian actress and screenwriter, who works in Hindi cinema. She started her career as a child actor with roles in films such as Mahesh Kaul’s Pyar ki Pyas. She was probably four to five years old when the shooting of the ...
Nominated
*
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
–
Preity Zinta
Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English literature, English honours and criminal psychology, Z ...
*
Best Supporting Actor –
Chandrachur Singh
Chandrachur Singh (born 11 October 1968) is an Indian actor, who mainly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of a Filmfare Award, in addition to receiving nomination for an International Indian Film Academy Awards, IIFA Award and a Screen ...
2nd IIFA Awards:
Won
*
Best Screenplay – Honey Irani
Nominated
*
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
– Ramesh S. Taurani & Kumar S. Taurani
*
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
– Preity Zinta
*
Best Supporting Actor – Chandrachur Singh
*
Best Female Playback Singer –
Kavita Krishnamurthy
Sharada Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Kavita Krishnamurthy or Kavita Subramaniam, is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded 50,000 songs in 45 various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Rajasthani, Bhojp ...
for "Ae Dil Laya Hai Bahaar"
*
Best Story – Honey Irani
References
External links
*
{{Kundan Shah
2000 films
2000s Hindi-language films
Teenage pregnancy in film
Films shot in Ooty
Films directed by Kundan Shah