Vivah

This article is about the Hindi language film. For the 2019 Bhojpuri film, see Vivah (2019 film). For the concept of wedding in Hinduism, see Vivaah.

Vivah
Theatrical release poster
Hindiविवाह
Directed bySooraj R. Barjatya
Screenplay bySooraj R. Barjatya
Story bySooraj R. Barjatya
Dialogue by
  • Aash Karan Atal
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHarish Joshi
Music byRavindra Jain
Distributed byRajshri Productions
Release date
  • 10 November 2006 (2006-11-10)
Running time
167 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹ 80 million[2]
Box office₹ 539 million[3]

Vivah (transl. Wedding / Marriage) is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, written and directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya. Produced and distributed by Rajshri Productions, the film stars Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao as lead, alongside Anupam Kher, Alok Nath, Seema Biswas, Samir Soni and Lata Sabharwal. Vivah tells the story of two individuals, and relates their journey from engagement to marriage and aftermath.[4]

Vivah is the fourth film to feature Shahid Kapoor opposite Amrita Rao. The film was released on 10 November 2006. It became a commercial success, and the tenth highest grossing film of the year, grossing more than ₹139 million (US$1.7 million) worldwide. Critical reception was mixed; some reviewers found it dramatically lacking and bloated, but it also has been credited for triggering changes to the way marriage is depicted on film. It became an unexpected success, as well as Kapoor and Rao's biggest commercial success at that point.

Kapoor and Rao's performance in the film earned them a nomination for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively at the Screen Awards. Vivah is the first Indian film to be simultaneously released in cinema and on the internet (through the production company's official site). The film was also dubbed into Telugu and released as Parinayam.[5]

Plot[edit]

Poonam, a middle-class girl lives in the small town Madhupur in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. Her parents died in her childhood and since then her uncle Krishnakant has fulfilled a father's void in her life. However, his wife Rama is jealous and unable to accept Poonam, driven by the fact that their own daughter Rajni is dark in complexion and not as beautiful as Poonam. Despite this, Rajni and Poonam grow close and consider themselves sisters. Harish Chandra Bajpayee, a renowned businessman in New Delhi has two sons: the married Sunil, and the soft-spoken and well-educated Prem.

Poonam's simple and affectionate demeanor impresses Bhagat, a jeweller and Krishnakant's friend, who takes her marriage proposal for Prem. Harish takes his opinion on the proposition. Hesitant, Prem feels he needs to focus on his career first. Harish convinces him to meet Poonam before deciding so Prem agrees. They visit the Mishras and let him get acquainted with Poonam. Prem and Poonam are instantly attracted to each other, agree to the marriage and get engaged.

Krishnakant invites Bajpayees to their summer place in Som Sarovar, so Prem and Poonam get to know each other better. The two go through the most magical and romantic period of their lives, begin to fall in love and become attached. Later, Harish and his family return home to attend a business meeting urgently. Poonam and Prem communicate via telephone and letter. Prem joins the business and takes on an essential project in Japan.

Upon returning, the family brings Poonam as a surprise, and a celebration is held in honour of Poonam's first visit and Prem's successful business venture. During the celebration, an angry and jealous Rama hides in her room. Krishnakant finds her and angrily confronts her and calls her out on her refusal to accept Poonam despite her attempts throughout her life to win Rama's love. He informs her that she is the only person who has ever had a problem with Poonam. However, two days before the wedding, a fire breaks out at Mishra house. Although Poonam runs out in time, she realizes Rajni is still inside and saves her, but gets heavily burnt in the process. The doctor informs her father that in such cases, even families disown their own. Upon hearing Poonam's diagnosis, and the fact that she was injured saving Rajni, a remorseful Rama breaks down realizing how cruel she has been to Poonam. Bhagatji, broken heartedly, calls Prem right as he is leaving for Madhupur for the ceremony. As he is about to sign the waiver allowing her surgery, he begins to cry and cannot do so. Prem arrives, determined to marry Poonam despite her injuries, and he brings the finest doctors from Delhi. He marries her informally before her surgery. With the aid of the doctors from Delhi, the hospital successfully performs surgery on Poonam. Later, Poonam and Prem are traditionally married and go home to their new life. At their wedding night, Prem takes the initiative of dressing Poonam's burns. Then the film ends with a kiss and beginning of their married life.

Cast[edit]

The cast is listed below:

  • Shahid Kapoor as Prem Bajpayee
  • Amrita Rao as Poonam "Bitto" Mishra
  • Anupam Kher as Harishchandra Bajpayee, Prem and Sunil's father
  • Alok Nath as Krishnakant Mishra, Poonam's uncle and Chhoti's father
  • Seema Biswas as Rama Mishra, Krishnakant's wife and Chhoti's mother
  • Samir Soni as Sunil Bajpayee, Prem's elder brother and Bhavna's husband
  • Lata Sabharwal as Bhavna Bajpayee, Sunil's wife and Prem's sister-in-law
  • Manoj Joshi as Bhagatji, Krishnakant's friend
  • Amrita Prakash as Rajni "Chhoti" Mishra, Krishnakant and Rama's daughter
  • Ameya Pandya as Rahul Bajpayee, Sunil and Bhavna's son
  • Dinesh Lamba as Munim
  • Mohnish Bahl as Dr. Rashid Khan (extended cameo appearance)
  • Yusuf Hussain in a friendly appearance as Dr. Jain

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Sooraj Barjatya noted that the story of Vivah is based upon a newspaper article his father read in 1988.[6] Like in all of Barjatya's previous films, the male lead is named Prem. The story combined elements of Hindu tradition to set itself up as a film of cultural significance and was constructed differently than Barjatya's earlier films. Barjatya hoped that the film would be remembered as the first to tackle the definitions and dynamics of a marriage.[7] In an interview with Times of India Barjatya said, he kept in mind all the novels of Saratchandra Chatterjee while making Vivah.[8] Barjatya felt that the film should possess a lyrical feel, since it was, according to him, "a lyrics oriented film."[9]

Casting[edit]

The film marks Rao and Kapoor's fourth and final film collaboration till date.

Amrita Rao and Shahid Kapoor were cast as the leads Prem and Poonam. The film marks their fourth project together after Ishq Vishk (2003), Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005) and Shikhar (2005).[10]

Kapoor played the soft-spoken and well-educated Prem. In an interview he stated that he had a tough time during the shoot and added, "I was a big city kid. I wasn’t getting half the things that were happening. I just followed what Sooraj sir said and I did it with all my honesty."[11] Rao played Poonam, a simple middle-class girl. She added, "I caught the sur of the character from Sooraj ji. I used to hear and see him very attentively, grab his sur and get into the character of Poonam. The challenge was to make her look simple without making her look fake."[12]

Samir Soni was cast to play Kapoor's brother, Sunil. He added that Barjatya would explain scenes to everyone individually.[13] Lata Sabharwal was cast as Bhavna opposite Soni. Anupam Kher, Alok Nath, Seema Biswas, Manoj Joshi and Amrita Prakash were cast in other prominent roles.[14]

Filming[edit]

A major portion of the film was shot in Almora, Uttarakhand

Filming took place during the first months of 2006.[10] The main hurdle came up with the location.[9] Barjatya wanted to shoot film in an authentic way. He asked the film's art director Sanjay Dhobade to create the entire town of Madhupur that can give a realistic look, particularly portions where water leaking takes place and portions where spit marks were visible on the walls of the buildings in the film.[9] Later, the town was created in Film city, Mumbai. Outdoor session of the film was done in Delhi, Lonavla, Ranikhet, Nainital and Almora.[15]

Post-production[edit]

Additional production credits include: Jay Borade – dance choreographer, Sound — Jitendra Chaudhary, Dialogue — Aash Karan Atal, Cinematography — Harish Joshi and Editor — V N Mayekar. Amrita Rao's costumes were created by Indian designer Anna Singh and Shahid Kapoor's clothes were created by Shabina Khan.[9] To promote the film, Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao sold tickets at the Fame Theatre in Malad, Mumbai.[16]

Soundtrack[edit]

Vivah
Soundtrack album by
Ravindra Jain
Released26 September 2006
GenreFilm soundtrack
Length34:46
LabelSaregama
ProducerSooraj Barjatya

The soundtrack (songs and the background score) and lyrics for Vivah was scored by Ravindra Jain. Vivah was seventh collaboration of Ravindra Jain with Rajshri Productions.[9] It was produced under the Saregama label. The composer primarily gave special importance to "taal" and opted to keep two "antras" followed by a "mukhra" in the songs.[9] The orchestra combines with classical Indian instruments, like the sitar, sarod, violin, dholak and tabla to produce a blend between classical western and classical Indian music.[17] The complete film soundtrack album was released on 26 September 2006.[17][18]

Vivah (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Mujhe Haq Hai"Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal5:02
2."Do Anjaane Ajnabi"Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal5:02
3."Milan Abhi Aadha Adhura"Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal5:47
4."Hamari Shaadi Mein"Babul Supriyo, Shreya Ghoshal5:17
5."O Jiji"Pamela Jain, Shreya Ghoshal5:20
6."Tere Dware Pe Aai Baraat"Sudesh Bhonsle3:58
7."Savaiyaa — Raadhey Krishn Ki Jyoti"Shreya Ghoshal2:16
8."Kal Jisne Janam Yahan Paaya"Suresh Wadkar, Kumar Sanu & Ravindra Jain7:43
9."Savaiyaa- Chhota Sa Saajan"Suresh Wadkar1:21
Total length:34:46

Critical reception[edit]

Although the songs were appreciated, the music was criticised due to its monotony choice of instruments and music arrangements being very similar to one another. Rediff.com wrote in its music review that, "Vivah's music disappoints".[19] Nofil of Glamsham gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars and noted that, "The music of Vivah fails to emerge as successful as other Rajshri family potboilers, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun [sic] and Hum Saath-Saath Hain."[20]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Vivah premiered on 10 November 2006 across India.[21] Like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Rajshri Productions released limited number of prints for the film and eventually increased prints with increasing popularity. Early reviewers of Vivah predicted that it would be a huge disappointment. The film opened well and went on to become a commercially successful venture.[22][23][24]

The film earned ₹222 crore (equivalent to ₹713 crore or US$89 million in 2023) net gross after seven weeks of running. Made on a budget of around ₹80 million (US$1.0 million),[2] the film went on to collect ₹496 million (US$6.2 million) at the domestic box office.[2][25] Vivah was released by Rajshri Media Limited on the production company's official site.[26] The film's DVD was released by Rajshri Production.[27]

Critical response[edit]

Ron Ahluwalia of Planet Bollywood gave it 7.5 out of 10 wrote, "Sooraj Bartjatya comes up with the best, cheesiest family flick we’ve seen in a long time without sending us back to the 1940s."[28] Deepa Gahlot of Sify said, "Vivah is far less offensive and far more watchable."[29] Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India called it a "simple documentation of something as banal as an engagement to a vivah".[30]

Madhuparna Das of The Telegraph criticised Vivah for lacking plot, flat characters and mentioning that the story was "rather weak and improbable."[31] BBC described Vivah as "a didactic, worthy, and highly sanitised take on reality in keeping with the Rajshri tradition."[32] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave only 1 out of 5 stars and condemned the screenplay, calling both Kapoor and Rao "insipid and boring."[33] A review carried by Anupama Chopra mentioned, "Sooraj Barjatya's fantasy world is carefully constructed, but his conviction infuses his films with an emotional heft."[34]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Date of ceremony[a] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
International Indian Film Academy Awards 7–9 June 2007 Best Film Vivah Nominated [35]
Screen Awards 6 January 2007 Best Actor Shahid Kapoor Nominated [36][37]
Best Actress Amrita Rao Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Seema Biswas Nominated
Jodi No. 1 Shahid Kapoor & Amrita Rao Nominated

Legacy[edit]

Vivah remains one of the most popular cast ensemble film of Indian cinema.[38] Kapoor and Rao's performance has been noted as one of their most notable works.[39][40] Bollywood Hungama placed Kapoor and Rao in its list of the top 10 best romantic couples of the decade.[41]

Indian painter M. F. Husain, decided to create a series of paintings inspired by Amrita Rao and Vivah. Husain planned to create an entire exhibition around her.[42] He organised a private screening for 150 friends and press attendees to "convey his interest for the film" at Dubai's Plaza cinema.[43] The Regent, a theater in Patna, Bihar, put up a festive banner to promote the movie.[44] The banner reads Poonam weds Prem. Vivah inspired couples at that time to emulate the protagonists.[45]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "VIVAH – A JOURNEY FROM ENGAGEMENT TO MARRIAGE ... | British Board of Film Classification". bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Vivah". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide (IND Rs)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  4. ^ "As 'Vivah' clocks 15 yrs, Amrita Rao recalls her 'Mughal-e-Azam' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Krithi Shetty and Bellamkonda Ganesh for 'Vivah' Telugu remake? - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  6. ^ "'I'm waiting for Salman to see Vivah'". Rediff.com. 9 November 2006. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  7. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (8 June 2006). "Making 'Vivah' was not easy: Sooraj Barjatya". Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Directorial venture Vivah". The Times of India. 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Making of Vivah". 5 April 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2014 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ a b "First look: Amrita-Shahid's Vivah". Rediff.com. 8 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Shahid Kapoor talks about his experience on Vivah set". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Aditya Chopra was in TEARS during the pre-climax scene – Amrita Rao". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  13. ^ "17 Years of Vivah: Samir Soni EXCLUSIVE". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  14. ^ "14 Years of Vivah: Amrita Rao shares pic from the last day of shoot". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  15. ^ Siddiqui, Rana (10 November 2006). "When Cupid strikes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
  16. ^ "Shahid, Amrita sell 'Vivah' tickets". Glamsham. 16 November 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  17. ^ a b "Soundtrack album by Ravindra Jain". Wind Servers. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Movie soundtrack album". CD Universe. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Vivah's music disappoints". Rediff.com. 3 October 2006. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  20. ^ Nofil, Zafri Mudasser (12 November 2006). "Vivah music review : glamsham.com". Glamsham. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  21. ^ "Sooraj Barjatya & Amrita Rao as Special Judges". 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ "Top Hits". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  23. ^ "Despite bad reviews, Vivah's a hit". Rediff.com. 14 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  24. ^ "B.O. Update: 'Vivah', 'A.S.M.M.' take favorable start". Bollywood Hungama. 11 November 2006. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  25. ^ "Total box office collection". Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Punathambekar, Aswin (24 July 2013). From Bombay to Bollywood: The Making of a Global Media Industry. NYU Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-8147-7189-1.
  27. ^ "Vivah (2007)". Amazon. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  28. ^ Ahluwalia, Ron. "Vivah — Movie review by Ron Ahluwalia". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  29. ^ Gahlot, Deepa. "Movie Review : Vivah". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  30. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (11 November 2006). "Film review — Vivah". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  31. ^ Das, Madhuparna (17 November 2006). "Telegraph India Review". The Telegraph. India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
  32. ^ Joshi, Poonam (1 November 2006). "Vivah — A Journey From Engagement To Marriage (2006)". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  33. ^ Masand, Rajiv (16 February 2008). "Rajiv Masand's verdict: Vivah(2006)". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  34. ^ Chopra, Anupama (27 November 2006). "Anupama Chopra reviews Vivah". India Today. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  35. ^ IndiaFM News Bureau (4 April 2007). "Nominees for IIFA Awards 2007". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  36. ^ Vijayakar, Rajiv (24 December 2006). "Rang De, Omkara sweep Screen nominations". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  37. ^ "13th Annual Star Screen Awards Nominations". Asian Outlook. 24 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  38. ^ "10 Bollywood Family Dramas Movies Featuring An Ensemble Cast". Filmfare. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  39. ^ "10 Shahid Kapoor movies that made us fall head over heels in love with him". Filmfare. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Amrita Rao Special: 5 must-watch films highlighting her versatile talent". PTC Punjabi. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  41. ^ Ramsubramaniam, Nikhil. "10 Best Onscreen Romantic Couples of the Decade". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
  42. ^ Mohamed, Khalid (10 November 2006). "Now, Amrita has entered by canvas: M. F. Husain". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
  43. ^ "MF Hussain goes fida over Amrita". Mumbai Mirror. The Times Group. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  44. ^ "Theatre turns into wedding hall for Vivah". CNN-IBN. 21 June 2007. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  45. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (3 December 2006). "Patna theatre turns into wedding hall for Vivah". Nerve news portal. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2014.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vivah&oldid=1217749000"