Bollywood in the 90s was replete with movies that thrived on romance and drama. While the 90s was the era of college romance and love stories of the younger generation, with the Khans taking the centre-stage with films like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Pyaar Kia To Darna Kya' among others, Satish Kaushik dared to make a film that touched on a concept novice for the Indian society, yet gruelling enough to make them emotional and involved in the story.
Satish Kaushik, who passed way on March 9 after a cardiac arrest, marked his place in the entertainment industry as a prolific actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. With his first two directorial ventures 'Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja' and 'Prem' failing at the box office, his 1999 film 'Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rahte Hain' struck a chord with the audience, earning him eminence as a director.
'Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rahte Hain' is a romantic drama starring Anil Kapoor and Kajol as the lead. The film also stars other prolific actors, including Anupam Kher, Johnny Lever, Rakesh Bedi, Shakti Kapoor, and Kaushik himself.
This movie, which touches upon the concept of 'contract marriage,' was received well by the Indian audience in terms of its collection and was Satish Kaushik's first hit as a director. It is said that cinema is a tool in the hands of a director to reflect the reality of society and Kaushik did the same in the film albeit in a little melodramatic way. The film touched on many topics that are still socially relevant - even after almost 24 years, especially the expectations we have from women and the way our patriarchial society behaves toward women who are separated from their husbands.
The #HADMRH Plot: Lot Of Cringe But Still Some Points To Drive Home
The movie starts with Anupam Kher playing the typical Bollywood dad, a prominent businessman named Mr. Vishwanath waiting for his son Anil Kapoor as Vijay to return from America after completing his studies. He plans to retire from business by placing all the responsibilities on Vijay's shoulders, however, to his dad's surprise, Vijay turns out to be someone who runs away from responsibilities. Vishwanath then, like any other Indian parent decides that he can make his son responsible by getting him married. After all who else but a woman to change a man child for whom life is just about going to clubs and spending time with friends. Like always the onus of making a man responsible or more mature lies on a woman's shoulder.
When Vijay refuses to marry someone, Vishwanath emotionally blackmails the protagonist to get his demand fulfilled. In this particular scene, the diabetic father (Anupam Kher) in order to blackmail his son starts gorging on sweets and the reaction from Anil Kapoor and the house help is so exaggerated that despite being a serious scene, it will make you laugh. Yes, people with diabetes should refrain from eating sweets, but their reaction was as if he is consuming a poison that will take his life instantly.
Finally, Vijay succumbs to his father's demand but presents a condition that he will marry someone under contract for a year to check their compatibility. Kajol as Megha, who belongs to a poor family, reluctantly agrees amid her family's financial crunch while being hopeful that her marriage will last.
Megha (Kajol) quits her job (because that is the first thing a woman needs to do when getting married) and becomes an ideal daughter-in-law and wife by doing everything that is expected of her - from touching her husband's feet to waiting for him to eat before she could eat. Her husband, surprisingly, is the one who believes in equality and treats his wife as an equal and doesn't want her to follow age-old customs that reek of sexism. In one scene, he touches his wife's feet, reciprocating her action and telling her that husband and wife are equal and should live like one.
While Vijay fails to see Megha as anything more than a friend, he suffers an accident, after which Megha takes care of him with complete devotion. Once the year as per their contract ends, Vijay drops Megha back at her house while saying that he sees her as his friend and not a wife. Later when he realizes he has feelings for her and tries to woo Megha back, she refuses. Toward the end of the movie, a tragic incident happens where the 'Hero' saves the day, and Megha agrees to be with him.
Amid all this, for the comic element, Satish Kaushik, who plays the role of 'German' takes a loan from Rakesh Bedi as Salim and then gives that loan amount to Sunny Goel played by Johnny Lever, at an extra interest rate. All three characters throughout the movie are stuck in a loop where none of them returns the money but try several unique ways to dodge it. The fine acting combined with the comic timing of all three actors will leave you laughing hysterically. The chemistry between Johnny Lever and Satish Kaushik is a delight to watch.
Fighting Patriarchy, The Satish Kaushik Way
There is a certain dichotomy in the entire film that can confuse an audience about the message the film is trying to give. On the one hand, it has some progressive elements like a husband who treats his wife as an equal, a wife who takes a stand after she feels cheated by him; on the other hand, it normalises a social evil like dowry, has dialogues like 'betiyaan mayke tab rehti hai jab wo vidhwa ho gai ho ya kunwari.' Megha's sister is shown living happily after her family gives dowry to the groom's family, her other sister, who was left by her husband because she had a hole in her heart, goes happily back to him once her sister gets her operation done. Though Kaushik captured the essence of our then-accepted norms disguised as Indian values, the film, in many ways, normalised such things by not showing the consequences of such behaviour.
The film also (intentionally or unintentionally) highlights society's double standards when it comes to women. While Vijay didn't have to endure any heat from society for entering into a contract marriage, Megha, on the other hand, was insulted time and again for the same.
When it comes to acting, every character in the film except Anil Kapoor is unnecessarily melodramatic. While Kajol plays the part very well, certain scenes could have been slightly toned down. Anil Kapoor fits the part except for the first song, where he is seen dancing, wearing a hoodie, and acting too cool.
The background music and the way certain shots are filmed remind you of television soaps of present-day - not of the time when the films were made because TV serials were far more progressive then. Well, that is a story for another day.
The film had many heavyweight dialogues - a few will also make you cringe - but the best one is in a scene where Kajol waits for her husband and doesn't eat because how can a woman eat before her husband. Anil Kapoor then tells her that these age-old rules were made by men so that they can dominate women. He says, "Maine to koi pati nahi dekha jo patni key samman k liye bhukha rahey, pati key liye ek kaayda, patni key liye dusra. Ye sab taur tareeke mardo ney patni ko apne pairon k neeche chappal ki tarah aur chappal key neeche kankar ki tarah dabane key liye banaye hain. Khana khane key liye pati ka nahi bhookh ka intezaar karna chahiye." Cringe? Yes, but so true. The film, in the same way, has some cringe moments but succeeds in bringing home some progressive thoughts, making it a decent watch even after 24 years.