''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' (transl. ''Will You Be My Friend!'') is a 2002 Indian
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
romantic comedy drama film written and directed by
Kunal Kohli in his directorial debut, and produced by
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the reci ...
under the
Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.
History
In 19 ...
banner. The film stars
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
,
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
, and
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
, with a special appearance by
Uday Chopra
Uday Raj Chopra (born 5 January 1973) is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of filmmaker Yash Chopra. He made his acting debut in the 2000 film ''Mohabbatein'' and featured in several other films including ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' ...
. Set across
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and India, the narrative centers on a
love triangle
A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...
between three childhood friends—Raj, Tina, and Pooja—exploring themes of friendship, identity, and emotional miscommunication.
The film marked Kohli’s first collaboration with Yash Raj Films as a director.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and India. The music was composed by
Rahul Sharma, with lyrics by
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist 4 times during his career. He wrote over 6000 film songs in more than 300 films.
Early life
Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Pr ...
. The soundtrack incorporated both original compositions and popular Bollywood classics from the 1970s and 1980s.
Released theatrically on 9 August 2002, ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its music and performances, but criticism for its narrative structure. The film was declared a commercial failure, though it ranked as the
sixth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, with a global gross of ₹336.1 million (US$4 million).
The film marked the only on-screen pairing of Roshan and Mukerji. Kapoor received a nomination for
Best Supporting Actress at the
4th IIFA Awards.
Plot
Raj Khanna, Tina Kapoor, and Pooja Sahani are childhood friends. Raj is drawn to Tina, unaware that Pooja harbors deep feelings for him. When Raj’s family relocates to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, he asks Tina to stay in touch through email. Tina, uninterested in the responsibility, passes the task to Pooja, who writes to Raj under Tina’s name. Over the years, Raj and “Tina” develop a strong emotional bond through this correspondence.
Fifteen years later, Raj returns to India, eager to meet the girl he fell in love with through their letters. Without exchanging photos, he assumes he’ll recognize her instantly. Upon arrival, he mistakenly identifies Tina as the girl from the emails and falls for her, not realizing it was Pooja who had written to him all along. Despite knowing the truth, Tina reciprocates Raj’s affections, and their families arrange their engagement. Heartbroken, Pooja hides her feelings.
Later in London, Raj takes Pooja to a church where she unknowingly hums a melody he had composed for his
pen-pal. Realizing Pooja is the one he’s truly loved, Raj confesses his feelings. The two plan to marry, but upon learning that Tina's father has died, Pooja sacrifices her happiness to support her friend. She agrees to step aside and only agrees to let Raj marry Tina if she marries someone else on the same day.
During the wedding celebrations in London, Raj’s friend Rohan expresses interest in Pooja, and she agrees to marry him. On the wedding day, Tina observes Raj’s lingering affection for Pooja and realizes the depth of their bond. She calls off the wedding and urges Raj and Pooja to be together. The film ends with Raj and Pooja finally uniting.
Cast
The cast is as follows:
*
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
as Raj Khanna
** Athit Naik as Young Raj Khanna
*
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
as Pooja Sahani
** Nandini Seth as Young Pooja Sahani
*
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
as Tina Kapoor
**
Barkha Singh as young Tina Kapoor
*
Uday Chopra
Uday Raj Chopra (born 5 January 1973) is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of filmmaker Yash Chopra. He made his acting debut in the 2000 film ''Mohabbatein'' and featured in several other films including ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' ...
as Rohan Verma
*
Satish Shah
Satish Ravilal Shah is an Indian actor. He is best known for his comic roles in films like '' Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983), '' Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi'' (1984), '' Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' (2004), '' Main Hoon Na'' (2004), ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (2003), '' ...
as Mr. Sahani: Pooja's father
*
Himani Shivpuri
Himani Bhatt Shivpuri is an Indian actress who is known for her character roles in Hindi films and Hindi soap operas. She is best known for her role in the films including '' Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'' (1994), ''Raja'' (1995), '' Dilwale Dulhan ...
as Mrs. Sahani: Pooja's mother
*
Kiran Kumar
Kiran Kumar (born Deepak Dhar; 20 October 1953) is an Indian screen and theatre actor. He has worked in numerous Hindi, Bhojpuri and Gujarati television and film productions. His latest work in drama is ''Charlie 2''.
Personal life
Kumar come ...
as Mr. Khanna: Raj's father
*
Smita Jaykar
Smita Jaykar (born 29 June 1964) is an Indian actress known for playing supporting roles in Hindi movies and TV shows. She is currently working on a theatrical adaptation of '' Devdas'' with Ashvin Gidwani Productions (AGP World).
A native o ...
as Mrs. Khanna: Raj's mother
*
Sachin Khedekar
Sachin Khedekar (born 14 May 1965) is an Indian actor and director known for his work in Hindi, Marathi and Telugu films. His well-known films include '' Kaksparsh'', '' Astitva'' and Shyam Benegal's '' Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgot ...
as Mr. Kapoor: Tina's father
*
Parikshat Sahni
Parikshit Sahni (born 1 January 1944) is an Indian film and television actor who has worked in Hindi and Punjabi cinema. He is known for his roles in the TV series ''Barrister Vinod'', '' Gul Gulshan Gulfaam'' (Doordarshan) and ''Gaatha'' (St ...
as Mr. Verma: Rohan's father
*
Maya Alagh as Mrs. Verma: Rohan's mother
* Raja Vaid as Ronnie Mendonca: Raj's friend
Production
Development
''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' marked the directorial debut of
Kunal Kohli, who previously worked in advertising and television.
While the film drew media comparisons to the 1996 American romantic comedy ''
The Truth About Cats & Dogs
''The Truth About Cats & Dogs'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Audrey Wells. It stars Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, Ben Chaplin and Jamie Foxx. The story is a modern reinterpretation of the 189 ...
'', Kohli clarified that the inspiration was limited to the mistaken identity angle and that "not one scene from it is the same."
Neil Nitin Mukesh
Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur (born 15 January 1982) is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter known for his work in Hindi films. He is the son of playback singer Nitin Mukesh and grandson of singer Mukesh. He debuted as a child artist ...
, who would later debut as an actor, served as an assistant director on the film.
Casting
The film featured
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
,
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
, and
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
in the lead roles. It marked Roshan and Kapoor’s third collaboration following ''
Yaadein'' (2001) and ''
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' (2001).
Uday Chopra
Uday Raj Chopra (born 5 January 1973) is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of filmmaker Yash Chopra. He made his acting debut in the 2000 film ''Mohabbatein'' and featured in several other films including ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' ...
made a special appearance as Rohan Verma, while
Barkha Singh portrayed the younger version of Tina Kapoor.
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
, who played Pooja Sahani, described the film as a “privilege” and recalled that working on it was an enjoyable experience, highlighting her strong on-set rapport with Roshan. Roshan, who portrayed Raj Khanna, noted the emotional depth of his character and likened the role to his earlier work in ''Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai'' (2000). He emphasized the second half of the film as particularly intense and praised Mukerji’s professionalism and positivity.
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
took on the role of Tina Kapoor, a vibrant and glamorous character. Though initially hesitant to accept a secondary role, she was persuaded by Kohli and producer Aditya Chopra. Kapoor saw the role as unconventional, stating, “I play a loser, yet emerge the winner,” and considered it a performance her fans would enjoy. She emphasized the importance of aesthetics in preparing for the role, going on a short fast to achieve the desired look for her introductory scene.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
was conducted across several domestic and international locations, including
Shimla
Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...
,
Manali,
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
Choreography for the film’s musical sequences was handled by
Ahmed Khan, while costumes were designed by
Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra (born 5 December 1966) is an Indian fashion designer, couturier, costume stylist, entrepreneur, filmmaker, and revivalist based in Mumbai, India.
The founder of the eponymous label, Manish Malhotra, he sometimes took part in t ...
and
Rocky Star.
Sharmishta Roy served as the film’s production designer.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' was composed by
Rahul Sharma, marking his debut as a film composer. Sharma accepted the offer in April 2001 while on a concert tour with his father, santoor maestro
Shivkumar Sharma
Shivkumar Sharma (13 January 1938 – 10 May 2022) was an Indian classical musician and santoor player who is credited with adapting the santoor for Indian classical music. As a music composer, he collaborated with Indian flautist Hariprasad ...
. He described the music as "young and fresh," tailored to reflect the urban and romantic themes of the film. The score incorporated traditional instruments such as the
santoor
The Indian santoor instrument is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer, and a variation of the Iranian santur. The instrument is generally made of walnut wood and has 25 bridges. Each bridge has 4 strings, making for a total of 100 strings. It ...
and
flute
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
, along with an orchestral arrangement featuring sixty violinists for the background score.
The lyrics were written by veteran lyricist
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist 4 times during his career. He wrote over 6000 film songs in more than 300 films.
Early life
Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Pr ...
, with playback vocals provided by
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai (born 18 March 1965) is an Indian pop singer known for her Indi-pop albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema. She began her singing career with the album ''Jadoo'' in 1985, and by the 1990s she had become known as the ' ...
,
Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik (born 20 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. One of the most prominent singers of 1990s era Bollywood, she has received several accolades, including two National Film Awards, two Ben ...
,
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...
,
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...
,
Udit Narayan
Udit Narayan Jha (born 1 December 1955) is an Nepali and Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured mainly in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He has also sung in various other languages including Telugu language, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil ...
, and
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, music director, dubbing artist and actor. He is one of the most versatile singers and widest vocal ranges in the history of Indian music. His songs vary from romantic to break-up, cla ...
.
Reflecting on the project in later interviews, Sharma described it as both a "great" and "learning" experience. The soundtrack was released on 12 June 2002 under the
Saregama
Saregama India Ltd is an Indian music record label and content company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the oldest music label in India, established in 1901 as the Indian branch of the British Gramophone Company. It later became ...
label.
Critical reception
The soundtrack for ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics.
Narendra Kusnur of ''
Mid-Day
''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore ...
'' described the music as "hummable" and praised composer
Rahul Sharma's youthful orchestration and innovative use of guitars. However, he also noted that some tracks followed a predictable pattern commonly associated with the
Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.
History
In 19 ...
banner.
Joginder Tuteja of ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides n ...
'' commended Sharma's debut effort, stating that he "does a superb job in churning out a number of melodies in one single package." ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' found the title track to be particularly hummable and highlighted the soundtrack’s fusion of Indian and Western musical elements. The review also noted the inclusion of a lengthy medley of classic and contemporary Hindi film songs.
Charts and sales
According to ''
Box Office India
Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry.
Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...
'', the soundtrack sold approximately 1.2 million units and ranked as the eleventh highest-selling Hindi film album of 2002.
Release
''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' was released theatrically on 9 August 2002 across 290 screens in India. The film generated significant pre-release anticipation, marking the directorial debut of
Kunal Kohli and featuring a lead cast of
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
,
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
, and
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
.
Its world television premiere aired on 7 November 2002 on
Zee Cinema
ZEE TV also known as Z TV is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched on 1 October 1992 as the oldest privately owned television channel in India.
Histor ...
. The
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
version was released on 11 November 2003 as a single-disc edition. The film later became available for streaming on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
on 8 March 2017.
Reception
Box office
On its opening day in India, ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' earned ₹11.6 million (US$140,000).
It went on to collect ₹211 million (US$2.5 million) domestically and an additional US$2.6 million from overseas markets.
The film’s total worldwide gross was estimated at ₹336.1 million (US$4.0 million), with Box Office India classifying its commercial performance as a "flop".
Despite this, it ranked as the
sixth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year,
and remained among the top Indian earners of the decade in both domestic and international territories.
Critical response
''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' received mixed reviews from critics. While the performances of the lead actors were generally praised, the narrative was criticized for being predictable and the soundtrack was regarded as underwhelming.
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media, as well as his reviews for Bollywood Hungama.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journ ...
of ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides n ...
'' gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, stating that it "clearly belongs to
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
, who has the meatiest role comparatively", and described her performance as "superb."
Subhash K. Jha, in a 2.5-star review, observed that
Kunal Kohli made a visible effort to create his own take on the traditional Yash Chopra style.
Derek Elley
Derek Elley (born ) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for '' Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', he spe ...
of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' felt that Kapoor "largely reprises her pampered bimbo" role from ''
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' (2001), but praised
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
's dancing abilities. Manish Gajjar of the ''
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'' commented that
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
showed a strong sense for comedy and visually reminded audiences of her earlier character "Poo".
In
''Outlook'',
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 i ...
rated the film 1 star, calling it "avoidable" and criticized Roshan's performance as "a poor parody of himself".
Sukanya Verma
Sukanya Verma is an Indian journalist and film critic. She has been the principal movie reviewer with web portal '' Rediff.com''. She has written a number of columns as a freelance writer for ''The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English ...
of ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' was more positive, describing Kohli as an "impressive" first-time director who maintained a tight grip on the screenplay and pacing. Madhureeta Mukherjee of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' remarked that Mukerji "scores almost full marks for her heart-rending performance". Omar Ahmed of
''Empire'' credited Mukerji with "saving" the film.
Khalid Mohammed
Khalid Mohamed is an Indian journalist, editor, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He worked for The Times of India for 27 years and then DNA followed by Hindustan Times and was the lead editor for Filmfare magazine. He is the son ...
noted that while Kapoor was "reliably spry and saucy", she risked
typecasting
In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
by repeating similar roles. S. Ramachandran of ''
Mid-Day
''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore ...
'' wrote that the film's strength lay in its performances, particularly Roshan's and Mukerji’s, despite its flaws. ''
Stardust'' acknowledged Kohli’s sensitive handling of certain scenes but felt the film overall lacked originality.
Accolades
Legacy
In 2023, ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' was featured in the
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
docu-series
''The Romantics'', as part of the segment titled "The New Guard", which explored the evolution of
Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.
History
In 19 ...
and its newer generation of filmmakers. Earlier, the song "Andekhi Anjaani" from the film was reused in a sequence of Kohli’s 2004 romantic comedy
''Hum Tum'', which also starred Mukerji.
The film was also included at the 93rd position in
''Time Out'''s list of "The 100 Best Bollywood Movies".
See also
*
List of highest-grossing Bollywood films
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood, consisting primarily of films in the Hindi language. This ranking lists the highest-grossing hindi films produced by Hindi cinema, based on conservative global box office estimates as reported by orga ...
*
List of Hindi films of 2002
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
2002 films
2000s Hindi-language films
2002 romantic comedy-drama films
Films shot in London
Films shot in Switzerland
Yash Raj Films films
Films set in London
Indian remakes of American films
Films directed by Kunal Kohli
2002 directorial debut films
Indian romantic comedy-drama films
Indian coming-of-age comedy-drama films
Films shot in Mumbai