Pardes (1997 film)
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{{Infobox film
| name = Pardes
| image = Pardes 1997 poster.jpg
| caption = Poster
| director = Subhash Ghai
| producer = Subhash Ghai
| writer = {{plainlist|
- Story & Screenplay:
- Subhash Ghai
- Dialogues:
- Javed Siddiqui
}}
| starring = {{plainlist|
}}
| music = Songs:
Nadeem–Shravan
Background Score:
Vanraj Bhatia
| cinematography = Kabir Lal
| editing = Renu Saluja
| distributor = Mukta Arts
| released = {{Film date|1997|08|08|df=y}}
| runtime = 191 minutes
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget = {{INR|10 crore}}{{cite web|url=https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2660|title=Pardes - Movie - Box Office India|website=boxofficeindia.com}}
| gross = {{INR|40.95 crore}}
}}
Pardes ({{Translation|Foreign land}}) is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Subhash Ghai. Distributed by Mukta Arts, it stars Shah Rukh Khan, and newcomers Mahima Chaudhry and Apurva Agnihotri in lead roles, with Alok Nath, Amrish Puri and Himani Shivpuri in supporting roles. The film was shot at various locations in the United States (Los Angeles, Las Vegas), Canada (British Columbia, including Vancouver) and India (Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, including Agra).
Pardes theatrically released in India on 8 August 1997. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with praise for its soundtrack and Khan, Chaudhry, and Agnihotri's performances; however its story and screenplay received criticism. It grossed over {{INRConvert|409|m}} worldwide, emerging as a commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, behind Dil To Pagal Hai (also starring Khan), Border, and Ishq.
At the 43rd Filmfare Awards, Pardes received 12 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Ghai) and Best Actress (Chaudhry), and won 3 awards – Best Female Debut (Chaudhry), Best Female Playback Singer (Alka Yagnik for "Meri Mehbooba") and Best Screenplay (Ghai).
The film was remade in Telugu as Pelli Kanuka (1998) starring Jagapati Babu, Lakshmi & Banumathi Ramakrishna. It was released on the eve of celebration of 50th anniversary of the Indian independence.
Plot
Surajdev greets his childhood friend, Kishorilal, who is an NRI visiting India after many years. Kishorilal spends time at Suraj's house in his village, and is impressed by the values of his daughter, Ganga. Seeking to marry her to his son Rajiv, he returns to the US and sends his adopted son, Arjun, to India.
Arjun sets about "westernizing" Ganga's household, which Ganga opposes. Starting off on the wrong foot, the two eventually become good friends. Rajiv arrives to India a few days later. Rajiv is initially shocked by Indian customs and traditions, though he approves of Ganga. Ganga turns to Arjun to understand Rajiv better, but he paints a perfect picture of Rajiv to her, including lying about Rajiv's vices. Ganga agrees to the match as well, and departs for the US with Rajiv's family, after being engaged.
In the US, Rajiv's extended family are cold towards Ganga, whom they consider an implant into their Americanised household. Ganga starts relying on Arjun for emotional support, and the two become close. Rajiv's vices come to light, as Ganga realises he is an alcoholic and a womanizer. She blames Arjun for lying to her about Rajiv and Kishorilal requests her to try to understand Rajiv better and fix the household as she will be married to him. On a trip to Las Vegas, Rajiv insists Ganga sleep with him before marriage. Ganga states her wish to abstain until they marry, after which Rajiv insults Indian traditions. Offended, Ganga slaps Rajiv and then cancels the relationship by discarding her ring. As a result, a drunk Rajiv slaps and forces himself on Ganga, who fights back and injures Rajiv and then runs away. Arjun finds her crying at a train station, and he safely flies her back to India.
Upon returning to the village in India, Ganga's father, thinking Arjun and Ganga have eloped, attempts to kill Arjun and Ganga for betraying them. Later, Rajiv and Kishorilal also reach the village in India, where Ganga has been reunited with her family. Arjun and Rajiv end up fighting, where Arjun is bleeding badly, but Kishorilal intervenes. He demands an explanation from Arjun, whom he raised as his own son but thinks he has seemingly betrayed him by "eloping" with Ganga. Arjun clarifies he was only protecting Ganga from Rajiv and wasn't trying to elope with her though he does confess his love for her. After Arjun leaves, Ganga then corroborates his story by showing them the marks on her body from Rajiv's assault. Embarrassed by his son's actions, Kishorilal slaps Rajiv and orders him to go back to the US. He calls off Ganga's wedding with Rajiv and declares she will marry Arjun instead. The two return to the US, where they live out a happy married life.
Cast
- Shah Rukh Khan as Arjun Saagar, Kishorilal's foster son
- Mahima Chaudhry as Kusum Ganga
- Apurva Agnihotri as Rajiv, Kishorilal's biological son
- Amrish Puri as Kishorilal, Arjun's foster and Rajiv's biological father
- Alok Nath as Suraj Dev, Ganga's father.
- Padmavati Rao as Narmada
- Dina Pathak as Dadi Maa
- Himani Shivpuri as Kulwanti
- Madhuri Bhatia as Neeta Sandiplal, Arjun's foster aunt.
- Smita Jaykar as Padma
- Pawan Malhotra as Sharafat Ali
- Prachi Save as Daksha
- Aditya Narayan as Potla
- Ajay Nagrath as Dabboo
- Samta Sagar as Sonali Shahi
- Subhash Ghai as singer in a boat
- Remo D'Souza as Dancer
- Rakesh Thareja as Shekhar Paul, Rajiv's friend.
- Ruhshad Nariman Daruwalla as Vikrant Pathak, Potla's friend.
- Akash as Karnataki
- Richa Anderson as Kelly, Rajiv's ex-girlfriend.
- Sukhwinder Singh Chahal as Ramu
- Deepak Qazir as Amirchand
- Vinod Raut as Garibchand
- Anand Balraj as Manuchand
Soundtrack
{{Infobox album
| name = Pardes
| type = soundtrack
| artist = Nadeem–Shravan
| cover = File:PardesSoundtrackAlbumCover.jpg
| alt =
| released = June 1997
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Feature film soundtrack
| length = 58:18
| language = Hindi and English
| label = Tips
| producer = Nadeem–Shravan
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
Ghai wanted A. R. Rahman to compose the music of this film, but he was too expensive and didn't fit the budget of the film.{{Cite web|url=https://bollyworm.com/features/21-years-of-pardes-when-the-music-triumphed-over-the-films-story/|title=21 Years of Pardes: When the music triumphed over the film's story!|date=8 August 2018}} However, they collaborated on Ghai's next, Taal (1999). The soundtrack of Pardes was then composed by Nadeem–Shravan and the lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi. For their work, Nadeem–Shravan received a Filmfare Award for Best Music Director nomination and won a Screen Award for Best Music Director. This was the only album where K.S. Chithra sung a Hindi song for Nadeem–Shravan.
Track list
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| # | Title | Singer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain" | Kumar Sanu |
| 2 | "Meri Mehbooba" | Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik |
| 3 | "Yeh Dil Deewana" | Sonu Nigam, Hema Sardesai & Shankar Mahadevan |
| 4 | "I Love My India" | Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Aditya Narayan & Shankar Mahadevan |
| 5 | "Jahan Piya Wahan Main" | K. S. Chithra, Shankar Mahadevan |
| 6 | "Nahin Hona Tha" | Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Hema Sardesai & Sabri Brothers |
| 7 | "My First Day In U.S.A" | Hema Sardesai |
| 8 | "I Love My India" (Female) | Kavita Krishnamurthy |
| 9 | "Title Music" | Sapna Awasthi |
Reception
Planet Bollywood started their review by saying, "The music of Pardes is one of Nadeem-Shravan's best ever."{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
Box office
Pardes grossed {{INR|34.83 crore|link=yes}} in India and {{US$|1.7 million|long=no}} ({{INR|6.12 crore}}) overseas, for a worldwide total of {{INR|40.95 crore}} ({{US$|{{#expr:409.5/(61.2/1.7) round 1}} million|long=no}}), against its {{INR|10 crore}} budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of {{INR|3.4 crore}}, and grossed {{INR|6.19 crore}} in its first week.{{cite web|url=http://boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/pardes#.VvZ-_btei1u |title=Pardes |website=Box Office India |access-date=22 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807231124/http://boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/pardes#.VvZ-_btei1u |archive-date=7 August 2015 }} It is the 4th-highest-grossing film of 1997 in India.{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_world_total/1997#.VbrjPp5Viko|title=Top Worldwide Grossers 1997|website=Box Office India|date=22 July 2015|access-date=22 July 2015}}
=India=
It opened on Friday, August 8, 1997, across 210 screens, and earned {{INR|61 lakh}} nett on its opening day. It grossed {{INR|2 crore}} nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of {{INR|3.64 crore}} nett. The film earned a total of {{INR|22.83 crore}} nett, and was declared a "super-hit" by Box Office India. It is the 4th highest-grossing film of 1997 in India.{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_gross_boxoffice/1997#.Vbrl0p5Viko|title=Top India Total Nett Gross 1997|website=Box Office India|date=22 July 2015|access-date=22 July 2015}}
=Overseas=
It earned {{US$|1.7 million|long=no}} ({{INR|6.12 crore}} in 1997) outside India. Overseas, it is the 2nd highest-grossing film of 1997 after Dil To Pagal Hai, which grossed {{US$|3.3 million|long=no}} ({{INR|12.04 crore}} in 1997).{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_over_total/1997#.Vbrmq55Viko|title=Top Overseas Gross 1997|website=Box Office India|date=22 July 2015|access-date=22 July 2015}}
| class="wikitable" style="float:centre; width:45%; text-align:center;"
|+ Pardes worldwide collections breakdown |
| Territory
! Territory wise Collections break-up |
|---|
| rowspan="3" | India
| Nett income: |
| Entertainment tax: {{INR|12 crore}} |
| Total gross: {{INR|43.83 crore}} |
| rowspan="1" | International (outside India) | {{US$|1.7 million|long=no}} ({{INR|6.12 crore}} in 1997) |
| |Worldwide
| {{INR|49.95 crore}} ({{US$|{{#expr:409.5/(61.2/1.7) round 1}} million|long=no}}) |
Critical reception
Pardes received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Praise was given to the music and the cast's performances; however the story and screenplay of the film received criticism.{{cite web|url=http://planetbollywood.com/Film/pardes2.html|title=Planet Bollywood: Film Review: Pardes |work=PlanetBollywood.com |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003071152/http://www.planetbollywood.com/Film/pardes2.html|archive-date=3 October 2011|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.apunkachoice.com/titles/par/pardes/mid_61/reviews-editor/|title=Pardes|work=ApunKaChoice|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326082641/http://www.apunkachoice.com/titles/par/pardes/mid_61/reviews-editor/|archive-date=26 March 2013|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news |last1=Maheshwari |first1=Laya |title=How Bollywood Stereotypes the West |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170922-how-bollywood-stereotypes-the-west |access-date=25 November 2019 |publisher=BBC |date=25 September 2017}}
India Today cites it as one of the first major Bollywood pictures to succeed in the United States.{{cite magazine|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/shah-rukh-khan-best-films/9/8077.html|title=Pardes (1997)|magazine=India Today|access-date=27 December 2014}}
In their book, New Cosmopolitanisms: South Asians in the US, Gita Rajan and Shailja Sharma view the film as a dichotomous depiction of the good NRI versus bad NRI, with Khan depicting the good immigrant, who assists the rowdy Indian American playboy Rajiv (Apurva Agnihotri), the bad. Khan's character of Arjun is perceived as a metaphor for cosmopolitanism or Indian cultural nationalism in the wider sense, in direct contrast to Rajiv who represents wealthy Westernization and all its negative vices and connotations.{{sfn|Sharma|Rajan|2006|p=126}}
Accolades
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
- {{cite book|last1=Sharma|first1=Edited by Gita Rajan and Shailja|last2=Rajan|first2=Gita|title=New Cosmopolitanisms: South Asians in the US|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9a0HmfY6w3QC&pg=PA126|year=2006|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-6784-2}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0119861|title=Pardes}}
{{Subhash Ghai}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardes (Film)}}
Category:1990s Hindi-language films
Category:Films directed by Subhash Ghai
Category:Films scored by Nadeem–Shravan
Category:1997 romantic drama films
Category:Foreign films set in the United States
Category:Hindi films remade in other languages
Category:Indian romantic drama films
Category:Films shot in Vancouver
Category:Films shot in Uttarakhand
Category:Films shot in Uttar Pradesh
Category:Films shot in Los Angeles
Category:Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley
Category:Films set in Uttar Pradesh