''Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'' () 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 ...

-language

satirical film Satire is a television and film genre in the fictional or pseudo-fictional category that employs satirical techniques, be it of a political, religious, or social variety. Works using satire are often seen as controversial or taboo in nature, with ...

released by Dreamz Unlimited (now

Red Chillies Entertainment Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian visual effects, production and distribution company established by actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan in 2002. It was transformed from the defunct Dreamz Unlimited. Based in Mumbai, the studio's ...

). The producers derived the title from lines of the song "

Mera Joota Hai Japani ''Mera Joota Hai Japani'' (; ) is a Hindi song with music by Shankar Jaikishan and lyrics by Shailendra, written for the 1955 Bollywood film ''Shree 420''. It was performed by popular Bollywood star Raj Kapoor, though actually sung by playbac ...

" from ''

Shree 420 ''Shree 420'' (also spelled as ''Shri 420''; ) is a 1955 Indian Hindi comedy-drama film directed and produced by Raj Kapoor from a story written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas whose use of Shree with the negative connotations of 420 caused controversy. ...

'' (1955).

Aziz Mirza Aziz Mirza (born 15 August 1947) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Bollywood and Indian television. Background Mirza was born the son of bollywood script-writer Akhtar Mirza. He is a brother of the fi ...

directed

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

and

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

, focusing on the TV media wars. Ajay Bakshi and Ria Banerjee are two television reporters for rival news channels who try to save the life of a man who has been fixed by politicians for the death of his brother, from a death sentence. The film marked the first attempted by Khan, Chawla, and Mirza under their new production company

Dreamz Unlimited Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian visual effects, production and distribution company established by actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan in 2002. It was transformed from the defunct Dreamz Unlimited. Based in Mumbai, the studio' ...

, now Red Chillies Entertainment. This film won the

IIFA Award for Best Special Effects The IIFA Special Effects is a technical award chosen ahead of the ceremonies. The winners are listed below: See also * IIFA Awards * Bollywood * Cinema of India The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which ...

Plot

Ajay Bakshi (

) is a successful loudmouthed reporter, working for a reputed news channel. The rival news channel ropes in Ria Banerjee (

) to bring him down. Ria is the antithesis of Ajay and uses her intelligence, charm and wits to get her work done. Pappu Junior alias Choti (

Johnny Lever Johnny Lever (born John Prakash Rao Janumala; 14 August 1957) is an Indian actor and popular comedian who is known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the first stand-up comedians in India. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, inc ...

) is a don who is to be ousted from his own gang, owing to his inability to make it big in the crime world. Ajay approaches Choti with an offer: arrange a fake attack on minister Ramakant Dua's (

Shakti Kapoor Shakti Kapoor (born Sunil Kapoor; 3 September 1952) is an Indian actor and comedian who appears in Bollywood films. Known for his villainous and comic roles in Hindi films, he has featured in over 600 films. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kapoor teame ...

) brother-in-law Madanlal Gupta (

Mahavir Shah Mahavir Shah (5 April 1960 – 31 August 2000) was a noted Indian television and stage actor who worked in Hindi and Gujarati movies. He is remembered for portraying several villainous roles. He died in a car crash in 2000, when he was in the U ...

), on national TV. Choti will earn respect & Ajay's channel will gain ratings. Little does Ajay know that the plan is going to turn too real. Ramakant Dua's brother-in-law is gunned down by an assailant named Mohan Joshi (

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...

). Minister Ramakant takes advantage of his brother-in-law's death to gain votes and sympathy; he also instigates a

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

to ensure his position in the government. Ajay and Ria start getting along as they work together to cover the city riots. Mohan is arrested and to avoid public unrest, the Police Commissioner declares that Mohan is a foreign terrorist. Mohan escapes jail and hides in Ajay and Ria's car. When Mohan accosts them, Ajay accuses him of being a terrorist. Mohan yells that he is not and tells the two his story: Mohan had a happy family with a wife (

Neena Kulkarni Neena Kulkarni (''neena'' Joshi) is an Indian actress. She began her acting career in the 1970s on the Marathi professional stage and Hindi experimental stage, along with fashion shows and modelling simultaneously. She met Pt Satyadev Dubey, h ...

) and daughter. One day, his daughter went for an interview and Ramakant's brother-in-law raped and beat her. She died from the trauma and as no lawyer was willing to fight the case due to the perpetrator's political power, Mohan was left helpless, running from door to door for justice. Hence hopeless, he took the law into his own hands and killed the rapist. Ajay and Ria decide to help Mohan, who sees them as his own kids and helps them realize their love for each other. Ajay hands over the videotape of Mohan's confession to his boss and uncle Kaka (

Satish Shah Satish Shah (born 25 June 1951) 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'' (200 ...

). Unfortunately, the minister has joined hands with rival minister Mushran (

Govind Namdeo Govind Namdev (born 3 September 1954) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Namdev made his debut as a corrupt cop in David Dhawan's '' Shola Aur Shabnam'' (1992). He has acted in numerous movies, often as a villain. He is an alumnus o ...

) as he fears that their secrets might come out if Mohan's truth is revealed. Ajay's boss forms an alliance with Ria's boss Chinoy (

Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil (born as Dalip Tahilramani; 30 October 1952) is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He studied at Sherwood College in Nainital, India. After attending Aligarh Muslim University for a year, he graduated from St. Xavier's Co ...

). The ministers and channel heads come together and trick Ajay and Ria into giving them the tape. When Mohan is arrested and sentenced to be publicly hanged, Ajay and Ria realize they were tricked. They work together with Choti to get the tape back. Ajay succeeds in broadcasting Mohan's confession just an hour before Mohan's execution and tearfully requests the nation to stop this injustice. The ministers and policemen try to prevent the protesters from entering the prison ground but the ACP joins Ajay and Ria, thus neutralizing the police barricades. In a blatant mockery and critique of media's selfish obsession with ratings and views, Mohan is made to wear a shirt sporting logos of sponsors and companies. Seconds before the execution, Ajay saves Mohan and the protesters beat up the politicians and chase them out, ensuring their careers are over. Mohan's execution is called off and the film ends happily as Ria proposes to Ajay, who accepts.

Cast

as Ajay Bakshi *

as Ria Banerjee *

as Mohan Joshi *

as Choti / Pappu Junior *

Atul Parchure Atul Parchure is an Indian actor who performs in films and television serials. Atul Parchure is an Indian movie, television, and theater actor. He is mainly known for his comedic roles in Marathi and Bollywood film industry. Although he is main ...

as Shahid Akram * Sanjay Mishra as Bomb Defuser *

Sharat Saxena Sharat Saxena (born 17 August 1950) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films along with Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. He has acted in more than 250 Bollywood films. Saxena started his career in the early 1970s and has mainly played su ...

as Pappu's boss *

Aanjjan Srivastav Aanjjan Srivastav (born 2 June 1948) is an Indian film, television and stage actor, associated with Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) in Mumbai of which he remained Vice-President for several years. Outside theatre, he is best known as ...

as Police Commissioner *

as Laxmi Joshi, Mohan's wife. *

as Chinoy *

as Kaka *

as Chief Minister Mushran *

as Minister Ramakant Dua *

as Ramakant's brother-in-law Madanlal Gupta *

Bharti 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 starr ...

as Mrs. Neha Banerjee, Ria's mother. *

Smita Jaykar Smita Jaykar is an Indian actress known for playing supporting roles in Bollywood movies and TV shows. She is currently working on a theatrical adaptation of Devdas with Ashvin Gidwani Productions (AGP World). A native of the Thakurdwar nei ...

as Mrs. Sudeepa Bakshi, Ajay's mother. *

Vishwajeet Pradhan Vishwajeet Pradhan (born 11 September 1965) is an Indian and television actor who has worked in Hindi films and television. Incidents on sets A major fire broke out on the sets of ''No Problem'' while the unit was shooting in the middle of th ...

as Head Police Inspector *

Dilip Joshi Dilip Joshi (born 26 May 1968) is an Indian film, television actor. He has appeared in several Indian movies and television series. Joshi has performed mostly in comedy roles, he initially worked in side roles in Bollywood films and then rose to ...

as Sapney (Choti's aide) *

Mona Ambegaonkar Mona Ambegaonkar (born 5 March 1970) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and television. She has featured in over 15 plays, 18 feature films, 38 TV projects, 37 advertising campaigns. She had a minor role in film ''Hazaar Chaurasi Ki ...

as Shalini Bahl (Cameo) *

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

as Mr. Rohan Bakshi, Ajay's father. *

Syed Badr-ul Hasan Khan Bahadur Syed Badr-ul Hasan Khan Bahadur was an Indian actor and classical dancer who acted in silver screen and television. He was known as Pappu Polister. Biography Khan Bahadur was a descendant of Wajid Ali Shah. He acted in ''The Sword of Tipu Sult ...

Dimple Inamdar A dimple, also called a gelasin (, ) is a small natural indentation in the flesh on a part of the human body, most notably in the cheek. Numerous cultures believe that cheek dimples are a good luck charm that entices people who perceive them as ...

Music

The music was composed by

Jatin–Lalit Jatin–Lalit are an Indian film music director duo consisting of Jatin Pandit and his brother Lalit Pandit. They have written the widely popular scores for films such as ''Yaara Dildara'', ''Khiladi (1992 film), Khiladi'', ''Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikan ...

who also composed the background score assisted by brother-in-law

Aadesh Shrivastava Aadesh Shrivastava (4 September 1964 – 5 September 2015) was a music composer and singer of Indian music. Initially, he had worked as a drummer to music composers including R. D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan before working independently as a music d ...

. All lyrics were written by

Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...

. The music of the film was appreciated. Manish Dhamija of ''Planet Bollywood'' gave 8.5 stars stating, "Overall, the album is a pleasant surprise from Jatin-Lalit". The soundtrack and the song "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" in particular, with its concept of "Love our country", was well-received and praised for its patriotism. Author M. J. Akbar highlighted the "very heavy winking" by Khan during his performance of the song, accompanying the evocative lyrics.

Track listing

Box office

''Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'' grossed in India and $1.67 million (7.26

crore A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...

) in other countries, for a worldwide total of , against its budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of , and grossed in its first week. It is the 13th-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2000 worldwide. On '' Up Close & Personal with PZ'', Shah Rukh Khan said that the film "was the biggest failure for Juhi hawla Aziz irza and him".

India

It opened on Friday, 21 January 2000, across 240 screens, and earned nett on its opening day. It grossed nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of nett. The film earned a total of nett, and was declared "Flop" by ''

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 ...

''.

Overseas

It had an opening weekend of $650,000 (2.82

) and went on to gross $900,000 (3.91

) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.67 million (7.26

) at the end of its theatrical run.

Awards

References

External links

* {{wikiquote Red Chillies Entertainment films 2000 films 2000s Hindi-language films Journalism adapted into films Films scored by Jatin–Lalit Indian comedy-drama films Films directed by Aziz Mirza 2000 comedy-drama films Indian satirical films