Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
Encyclopedia
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (Devanagari
: फिर भी दिल है हिंदुस्तानी, "But the heart is still Indian") is a Bollywood
film released by Dreamz Unlimited
on 21 January 2000. The film was directed by Aziz Mirza
and stars Shahrukh Khan
as Ajay Bakshi, a confident, loudmouth TV reporter, and Juhi Chawla
as Ria Banerjee, Ajay's rival reporter.
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani focuses on the media war being fought in the TV newsrooms.
The film had mixed reviews from critics and audiences but was proven to be an average film, even though it was a high-profile film by director Aziz Mirza
, it could not emulate the successes his previous films Yes Boss
and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman
had. The film only managed to pick up one award - in 2001, the Award for Technical Excellence from Awards of the International Indian Film Academy.
) & Ria Banerjee (Juhi Chawla
) are arch rivals & TV reporters for rival news channels. Their rivalry gives way to chivalry & ultimately attraction.
When a staged assassination attempt on a minister's brother turns real, Ajay & Ria are thrown on same side of a war that is about to start. Mohan Joshi(Paresh Rawal
), the assassin, says nothing about his motives. The commissioner gives false reports to the media that Joshi is in league with terrorists, who attempt to destabilize the country. Mohan escapes from the jail & runs into Ajay & Ria. The story he tells them shocks the duo to the core.
The duo decide to give preference to the truth over TRP. Unfortunately they have to fight their own bosses along with the wrongdoers to give Mohan the justice. A couple of songs of the film were enjoyable, especially the song 'tum aaye to hawaaon me ek nasha hai' sung by abhijeet and alka yagnik and composed by jatin-lalit is rendered melodiously.
) is an arrogant but successful reporter working for a reputed news channel. His father was a freedom fighter living on a measly pension. Ajay thinks that his fathers ideal & sacrifices have given him nothing. He has no respect for his father's ideals, which his father still sticks to. The rival news channel ropes in Ria Banerjee(Juhi Chawla
) as his answer.
Ria is antithesis of Ajay & uses her charm to get her work done.
Pappu Junior(Johnny Lever
) is a don who is soon 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 a minister's (Shakti Kapoor
) brother on national TV. Choti will earn respect & Ajay's channel will gain TRP. Little does Ajay know that the plan is going to turn too real.
The minister's brother is gunned down by an assailant named Mohan Joshi(Paresh Rawal
). When Ajay learns that he was not Choti's man, he panics. Ria learns about Ajay & Choti's deal, but they decide to help each other nevertheless. Mohan is arrested, but does not open his mouth even once during police torture. To avoid any public unrest, the ACP(Anjan Srivastav
) declares that Mohan is a terrorist working for unknown terror organizations. Meanwhile, Mohan somehow escapes out of jail.
Ajay & Ria are fighting over the matter in their car, unaware that Mohan is hiding in the same car. Mohan accosts them, where Ajay accuses him of being a terrorist. Mohan has an angry outburst & tells him that he is not a terrorist. Mohan goes on to narrate his story. Mohan has an ailing wife (Nina Kulkarni
) & a now-dead daughter. Mohan says that his daughter went to an interview for a secretarial job at the victim's office, where the latter raped her. She committed suicide & Mohan was left running from door to door for justice. Hence, he took the law into his own hands.
Ajay & Ria are shaken by his confession & decide to help Mohan. Ajay hands over the video tape of this confession to his boss(Satish Shah
). Unfortunately, the minister has joined hands with his opposition rival(Govind Namdeo
) as he fears that their secrets might come out if Mohan surrenders. Similarly, Ajay's boss forms an alliance with Ria's boss(Dalip Tahil
) after knowing about the tape. The ministers & channel heads come together and trick Ajay & Ria to give the tape to them.
Only after they give the tape do they realize what the truth is. Ajay is angry at first, but comes up with a plan to retrieve the tape back from the villains. With the help of Ria & Choti, he succeeds in obtaining the tape. Here Mohan has been arrested by police & is sent to be publicly hanged. Ajay succeeds in broadcasting Mohan's confession just an hour before the execution & asks the public to stop this injustice.
The ministers try to stop the protesters from coming to the execution ground by making the police barricade the entrance. The ACP decides to join Ajay & Ria, thus neutralizing the police barricades. In a blatant mockery of media's TRP hogger attitude, Mohan is made to wear a T-shirt containing logos of various companies & is prepared for execution. Just seconds before the execution, Ajay & the protesters succeed in saving Mohan.
Mohan's execution is called off. Ajay's father tells him that his ideals may not have given him money, but they gave him something far more important - Ajay. Ajay proposes to Ria in front of all the protesters; Ria accepts after playful banter with him.
Manish Dhamija of Planet Bollywood gave 8.5 stars stating, "Overall, the album is a pleasant surprise from Jatin-Lalit".
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: फिर भी दिल है हिंदुस्तानी, "But the heart is still Indian") is a Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film released by Dreamz Unlimited
Dreamz Unlimited
Dreamz Unlimited was an Indian film production and distribution company founded in 2000 by Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza. The company produced three films. In 2004, Khan took over the company and transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment....
on 21 January 2000. The film was directed by Aziz Mirza
Aziz Mirza
Aziz Mirza is an Indian film director and writer.-Biography:Mirza started his career in 1985 when he joined his brother Saeed Mirza and veteran director Kundan Shah to set a new production company called Iskra....
and stars Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
as Ajay Bakshi, a confident, loudmouth TV reporter, and Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...
as Ria Banerjee, Ajay's rival reporter.
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani focuses on the media war being fought in the TV newsrooms.
The film had mixed reviews from critics and audiences but was proven to be an average film, even though it was a high-profile film by director Aziz Mirza
Aziz Mirza
Aziz Mirza is an Indian film director and writer.-Biography:Mirza started his career in 1985 when he joined his brother Saeed Mirza and veteran director Kundan Shah to set a new production company called Iskra....
, it could not emulate the successes his previous films Yes Boss
Yes Boss
Yes Boss is a 1997 Indian Bollywood film directed by Aziz Mirza and produced by Ratan Jain. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Aditya Pancholi in pivotal roles.-Synopsis:...
and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman
Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman
Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman is a 1992 Bollywood movie directed by Aziz Mirza starring Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Amrita Singh and Nana Patekar. Khan plays Raj Mathur, a young engineering graduate from Darjeeling who comes to Bombay hoping to become an important engineer...
had. The film only managed to pick up one award - in 2001, the Award for Technical Excellence from Awards of the International Indian Film Academy.
Summary
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, focuses on the media war being fought in the TV newsrooms. Ajay Bakshi (Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
) & Ria Banerjee (Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...
) are arch rivals & TV reporters for rival news channels. Their rivalry gives way to chivalry & ultimately attraction.
When a staged assassination attempt on a minister's brother turns real, Ajay & Ria are thrown on same side of a war that is about to start. Mohan Joshi(Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
), the assassin, says nothing about his motives. The commissioner gives false reports to the media that Joshi is in league with terrorists, who attempt to destabilize the country. Mohan escapes from the jail & runs into Ajay & Ria. The story he tells them shocks the duo to the core.
The duo decide to give preference to the truth over TRP. Unfortunately they have to fight their own bosses along with the wrongdoers to give Mohan the justice. A couple of songs of the film were enjoyable, especially the song 'tum aaye to hawaaon me ek nasha hai' sung by abhijeet and alka yagnik and composed by jatin-lalit is rendered melodiously.
Plot
Ajay Bakshi(Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
) is an arrogant but successful reporter working for a reputed news channel. His father was a freedom fighter living on a measly pension. Ajay thinks that his fathers ideal & sacrifices have given him nothing. He has no respect for his father's ideals, which his father still sticks to. The rival news channel ropes in Ria Banerjee(Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...
) as his answer.
Ria is antithesis of Ajay & uses her charm to get her work done.
Pappu Junior(Johnny Lever
Johnny Lever
John Prakasa Rao Janumala famously known as Johnny Lever is an Indian film actor and comedian. He was born to Prakash Rao Janumala and Karunamma Janumala and brought up in Mumbai. He started his career in 1984 and has acted in over 350 Bollywood films...
) is a don who is soon 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 a minister's (Shakti Kapoor
Shakti Kapoor
Shakti Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor. He is notably known for playing vulgar comic and villainous roles. He is known for acting alongside comedian Kader Khan as his sidekick along with Asrani in over 100 films.-Early life:...
) brother on national TV. Choti will earn respect & Ajay's channel will gain TRP. Little does Ajay know that the plan is going to turn too real.
The minister's brother is gunned down by an assailant named Mohan Joshi(Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
). When Ajay learns that he was not Choti's man, he panics. Ria learns about Ajay & Choti's deal, but they decide to help each other nevertheless. Mohan is arrested, but does not open his mouth even once during police torture. To avoid any public unrest, the ACP(Anjan Srivastav
Anjan Srivastav
Anjan Srivatsav is an Indian film, television and stage actor, associated with Indian People's Theatre Association in Mumbai of which he remained Vice-President for several years...
) declares that Mohan is a terrorist working for unknown terror organizations. Meanwhile, Mohan somehow escapes out of jail.
Ajay & Ria are fighting over the matter in their car, unaware that Mohan is hiding in the same car. Mohan accosts them, where Ajay accuses him of being a terrorist. Mohan has an angry outburst & tells him that he is not a terrorist. Mohan goes on to narrate his story. Mohan has an ailing wife (Nina Kulkarni
Nina Kulkarni
Nina Kulkarni is an Indian film actress and producer. she has appeared in many Hindi and Marathi movies.- Filmography :Folloing table shows list of films-References:...
) & a now-dead daughter. Mohan says that his daughter went to an interview for a secretarial job at the victim's office, where the latter raped her. She committed suicide & Mohan was left running from door to door for justice. Hence, he took the law into his own hands.
Ajay & Ria are shaken by his confession & decide to help Mohan. Ajay hands over the video tape of this confession to his boss(Satish Shah
Satish Shah
Satish Ravilal Shah is a Hindi and Marathi film and television actor best known for his comedy films. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the ever popular 80's sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi directed by Kundan Shah and Manjul Sinha. He is famous for playing the role of Municipal Commissioner...
). Unfortunately, the minister has joined hands with his opposition rival(Govind Namdeo
Govind Namdeo
Govind Namdeo is an Indian film actor. Govind made his debut as a corrupt cop in David Dhawan's Shola Aur Shabnam . He has acted in numerous A grade movies...
) as he fears that their secrets might come out if Mohan surrenders. Similarly, Ajay's boss forms an alliance with Ria's boss(Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:...
) after knowing about the tape. The ministers & channel heads come together and trick Ajay & Ria to give the tape to them.
Only after they give the tape do they realize what the truth is. Ajay is angry at first, but comes up with a plan to retrieve the tape back from the villains. With the help of Ria & Choti, he succeeds in obtaining the tape. Here Mohan has been arrested by police & is sent to be publicly hanged. Ajay succeeds in broadcasting Mohan's confession just an hour before the execution & asks the public to stop this injustice.
The ministers try to stop the protesters from coming to the execution ground by making the police barricade the entrance. The ACP decides to join Ajay & Ria, thus neutralizing the police barricades. In a blatant mockery of media's TRP hogger attitude, Mohan is made to wear a T-shirt containing logos of various companies & is prepared for execution. Just seconds before the execution, Ajay & the protesters succeed in saving Mohan.
Mohan's execution is called off. Ajay's father tells him that his ideals may not have given him money, but they gave him something far more important - Ajay. Ajay proposes to Ria in front of all the protesters; Ria accepts after playful banter with him.
Cast
- Shahrukh KhanShahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
as Ajay Bakhshi - Juhi ChawlaJuhi ChawlaJuhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...
as Ria Banerjee - Paresh RawalParesh RawalParesh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
as Mohan Joshi - Johnny LeverJohnny LeverJohn Prakasa Rao Janumala famously known as Johnny Lever is an Indian film actor and comedian. He was born to Prakash Rao Janumala and Karunamma Janumala and brought up in Mumbai. He started his career in 1984 and has acted in over 350 Bollywood films...
as Choti/Pappu Junior - Chariems Josh as Friend of Ajay "Shahid"
- Sanjay MishraSanjay MishraSanjay Mishra is an American Guitarist/Composer born in India and subsequently becoming a citizen of the United States who began performing after completing his studies at...
as Bomb Defuser - Sharat SaxenaSharat SaxenaSharat Saxena is an Indian actor working in Bollywood films. He has acted in nearly 160 Bollywood films.Saxena started his career in the early 70s and has mainly played either supporting roles of a father, uncle or villainous roles....
Music
Music from this movie was much apprecited by audiences rather than movie itself.Manish Dhamija of Planet Bollywood gave 8.5 stars stating, "Overall, the album is a pleasant surprise from Jatin-Lalit".
| # | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" | Udit Narayan Udit Narayan -Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B... |
04:00 |
| 2 | "I Am The Best - Male" | Abhijeet | 04:18 |
| 3 | "I Am The Best - Female" | Jaspinder Narula Jaspinder Narula Jaspinder Narula is a noted Punjabi singer and Bollywood playback singer, who shot to fame after the duet "Pyar to hona hi tha" with Remo Fernandes from the 1998 film Pyar To Hona Hi Tha for which she won the 1999 Filmfare Best Female Playback Award. Her other notable films are Mission Kashmir,... |
04:18 |
| 4 | "Banke Tera Jogi" | Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films... and Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... |
04:43 |
| 5 | "Vande Mataram" | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... and Ehsaan Ehsaan Noorani Ehsaan Noorani is the Ehsaan of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio which consist of Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa and himself. He is a famous music composer and a guitarist. He was the guitarist for many music directors before he started composing music. Ehsaan has also studied music with Mr... |
04:39 |
| 6 | "Kuch To Bata" | Abhijeet and Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... |
04:32 |
| 7 | "Aur Kya" | Abhijeet and Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... |
05:03 |
| 8 | "Aao Na Aao Na" | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... |
01:53 |