Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit starrer 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' remains a cult classic as one of the biggest family entertainers of all time. The 1994 film is a remake of Rajshri Productions' 1982 film 'Nadiya Ke Paar' starring Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sadhana Singh in the lead. Three decades have passed since the film hit the screens, but it is still remembered for its story, characters, the chemistry between the lead actors, and its evergreen music.
Film's Plot
'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' follows the story of Prem (Salman Khan) and Nisha (Madhuri Dixit), who meet for the first time as Prem's elder brother Rajesh's (Mohnish Behl) wedding gets arranged with Nisha's elder sister Pooja (Renuka Shahane). The meeting also forms the reunion of three college friends: Kailashnath (Alok Nath), Prof Siddharth (Anupam Kher) and his wife Madhukala (Reema Lagoo).
Right from their first meeting, Prem and Nisha engage in fun banters and tease each other. While Prem has an emotional inclination towards Nisha since the starting, Nisha develops feelings for him later and things intensify when she goes to stay at Prem's house to be with a pregnant Puja.
Everything goes on perfectly and life seems to be a dream for lovebirds Prem and Nisha, who let Pooja in on their little secret. Things go for a toss when an elated Pooja, who cannot contain her excitement after knowing about Prem and Nisha's love and goes to tell her husband Rajesh, rolls down the stairs and suffers an injury that ultimately leads to her death.
Both sides of the families are devastated. Seeing Rajesh's deteriorating health and his concern for the future of his child, the elders of the family decide that he should be remarried. After much discussion, and even an argument (which is in fact the only sequence in the movie when we hear raised voices), it is decided that Rajesh will marry to Nisha as she would be the only person who would Pooja's child like her own.
A miscommunication leads to Nisha initially accepting the proposal, but the couple later decide to sacrifice their love for the happiness of their families. Nisha and Rajesh were all set to be married but Tuffy, the loving dog, saves the day and reunite the lovers.
How Hum Aapke Hain Koun became the film of the millennium
'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' emerged as a film that broke from the genre of films prevalant those days. When all the movies being made at the time were glorifying violence, with angry heroes and evil villains ruled the roost, HAHK came with the promise of giving pure entertainment that people would watch with the entire family.
Hum Aapke... managed to establish itself as one of the films that did not have any violence, fights between heroes and villains, or any bloody clash between good and evil. The musical romantic drama was an out and out family entertainer, which kept the audience glued from beginning to end.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun music
The film's superhit music by Ram Lakshman are still hummed and played at weddings. Songs like 'Deedi Tera Dewar Deewana' and 'Maye Ni Maye' have remained popular. No wedding is complete without some fun banter between the groom and the bride's side, and of course, the song 'Dulhe Ki Saaliyon'. Every lovebird out there has felt those emotions of 'Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai' and every family has rejoiced and lived the moments of 'Dhik Tana Dhik Tana'.
It is said that director Sooraj Barjatya's grandfather Tarachand Barjatya loved the song 'Dhik Tana' so much that the film was almost given that title. 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' is not only a visual treat but a musical feast as well, with many other songs including 'Yeh Mausam Ka Jaadu Hai Mitwa' and the title track that made the entire album the highest-selling Bollywood soundtrack of the year.
'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' has some amazing performances by Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit and the stellar supporting star cast. Madhuri Dixit is a delight to watch as she essays the character of fun-loving Nisha, who was actually paid more than Salman Khan, given her female superstar image. Salman Khan delivers one of his best performances from his soft-boy era, making women drool over his looks and his infectious charm.
Early reviewers of 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' had predicted that the film would be a huge flop given its length and the number of songs (14 in total). However, the film turned out to be not just a massive success but one of the biggest grossers ever in the history of Indian cinema. Following the success of 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun', Sooraj Barjatya established himself as one of the directors who thrived on family entertainers. He later delivered 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' and 'Vivah', which also saw massive success.
As HAHK completes 30 years of its release this weekend, it becomes a perfect watch to bring the entire family together and relish the grand Indian wedding scenes with all the emotions and drama.