Flashback Friday: Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor Film Chandni, The OG Musical Romance By Yash Chopra
'Chandni' officially ended the era of violent action films( headlined by Amitabh Bachchan) besides rejuvenating the romantic musical genre; a Yash Raj legacy followed by Karan Johar in the 90s
Why Chandni Is This Week's Pick
- This week's pick is the Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna led 'Chandni'. The Yash Chopra directorial completes 34 years and also marks an important transition movement in Hindi cinema. 'Chandni' officially ended the era of violent action films( headlined by the likes of the angry young man films and image of megastars like Amitabh Bachchan) besides rejuvenating the romantic musical genre; a Yash Raj legacy followed by the likes of Karan Johar in the 90s.
New Delhi: 'Chandni' is a classic Yash Chopra love story. It is heroine-oriented, has a love triangle, depicts the lifestyle of the uber-elite, is shot in beautiful locales and also is a musical. This Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna film was released in 1989. 'Chandni' is adapted from a story written by Kamna Chandra with a screenplay by Umesh Kalbagh, Arun Kaul and Sagar Sarhadi.
'Chandni' did great numbers at the box office besides also receiving a lot of critical appreciation at the time. The success of 'Chandni' solidified Sridevi's position as a leading star besides also bringing an end to the era of action films.
Over the years, 'Chandni' came to be regarded as one of Yash Chopra's finest films.
In the era of 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani', where Karan Johar has modernized the Yash Chopra template of filmmaking and changed it completely by adapting to the times, a film like 'Chandni' is important to revisit.
'Chandni' throws light on the OG romance musical genre that the filmmaker Yash Chopra created; how shooting films and their songs in foreign locations began, and creating mature love triangles and more.
Revisiting Chandni, a film from 1989 in 2023
One of the things that invariably stands out within the first 15 minutes of 'Chandni' is the musicality of it.
A background score with lilting melodies and a soundtrack that has a song for every emotion.
Note: The soundtrack of the film which has some 11 songs mounting to almost an hour in the run time of the film which stands at 3 hours( a convention at the time).
Chandni plot
'Chandni' is a story about a woman( Sridevi plays the titular role) torn between past and present as her life somersaults when the accident of her fiance Rishi Kapoor (Rohit) renders him in a wheelchair. She later tried to find solace with a job at a travel agency run by Lalit (Vinod Khanna), who falls in love with her.
This complex love story deals with relationships souring post a personal accident tragedy, engagements breaking, moving on from the death of a partner; all achieved with the help of songs which further the narrative and throw light in the psychological states of the mind of the three characters.
Sridevi is the highlight of 'Chandni' and her performance of a woman broken, confused and in love makes even the most problematic aspects of the love story and the times if was made in, very watchable.
Chandni Music For All Emotions & Seasons
It goes without mention that no Yash Chopra musical romance is complete without the songs. And, Chandni's soundtrack by Shiv-Hari with songs which are still played at desi weddings reinstate the legacy of the music the film left behind.
There are song sequences that celebrate love at first sight, the iconic heroine-introduction song 'Mere Hathon Mein', romance and honeymoon tracks, heartbreak, nostalgia, friendship and memories songs.
An iconic dance sequence that stands out besides the typical romance songs we have now gotten used to, but were then new( like shooting songs in Switzerland began with Yash Raj and 'Chandni' was reportedly the second film by him that shot songs there), is the instrumental score which compliments Sridevi dancing in a white swan-like outfit in a dream like sequence.
The backdrop of an untouched pristine forest with Sridevi in white dancing in it is so well shot and cinematically placed in 'Chandni'.
Then, there is a heartbreak exposition song 'Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki' which has such a smooth edit between Sridevi walking up stairs and Juhi Chawla dancing in rain ( again, a grainy-dream-like scene) and Vinod Khanna lipsing the song on his balcony in a melancholic mood.
Another well-shot song is the friendship song between Rishi Kapoor & Vinod Khanna: 'Tu Mujhe Suna' in Switzerland which has an interlaced back story of both their versions of Chandni and their love for her.
In two songs, we also get an entirely dream-grainy sequence which so naturally suggests the unreal manifestation of the characters' states of minds.
Interestingly, accidentally or incidentally, almost all songs have a season in 'Chandni'. There is a song in abundant spring, winter, summer and Bambai Ki Baarish.
Interestingly, all of Chandni's songs are so organically well-placed in the narrative. They also further the narrative and the breaking into songs froma scene looks almost natural in contrast to the times we live in today where filmmakers break scenes to forecully add songs.
Chandni Film Edit & Cinematography
Despite being a 3-hour-long film, Yash Raj seems to have run out of time to tell the story of his three leads.
The filmmaker is mostly lost in his own material and beautifying frames for the first half of the film. In the second half, the tussle continues until it's too late in the last 20 minutes of the film.
3 lives come back to order after following a three-act structure within 15 minutes. Scenes are cut and the edit is so sharp that the ending looks misplaced.
Despite achieving the desired end, it feels like either the filmmaker was bored by the end of the film or that the editor did not have it in him to go on.
There is purposeful confusion created at the end of 'Chandni' to suggest the person Chandni finally chooses to spend her life with, however, that move somehow stands out of the genre.
Manmohan Singh's carefully designed shots and frames with a production design that suits the super-elite in Yash Raj films compliments the tonality of the film.
What really stands out is how space and time are literally shown in 'Chandni'.
Long before a time lapse like a few months or years were shown or a dream sequence in figures on screen, filmmakers were using film-grain sequences to give a hint of dream or psychological states of characters' mind and showing 6 months actually happening on screen.
When Rishi Kapoor( Rohit) is in Switzerland getting treated, we actually see him go through therapy and recover instead of a card saying 'After 6 months' or likewise.
Chandni Problems
Like every film from every era, 'Chandni' also has its own set of problems. It has a classic-entitled stalker hero, a heroine who is all beauty and not given a lot of agency, a screenplay which conforms to societal standards of understanding love, marriage and relationships back then, and the problem of romanticising love beyond reality.
Having said that, a lot of millennial audiences would like to know that Yash Chopra was one of the few filmmakers back then who gave some agency to his female leads.
In fact, his films were mostly heroine-oriented, sometimes discussing and shedding light on the states of the mind of his female leads for most parts.
Conclusion
Yet, despite everything, 'Chandni' is a classic in the musical romance genre in Hindi cinema. It has some top-notch performances by Sridevi and Rishi Kapoor, however, the former's screen presence and her natural attention to details while performing is almost staggering.
'Chandni' is a Yash Chopra film that formed a perfect prototype for generations of filmmakers to follow in the genre and set a formula template for them which has been followed year after year, even today.
Sadly, while Yash Chopra returned to romance with 'Chandni' after a sling of failed action films and adapted to the times, filmmakers today continue to follow the set Yash Chopra template of romance without a thought of experimenting and changing with times.
Do let us know what you think of the film ‘Chandni’?
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