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Mujhse Dosti Karoge!

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Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (transl. Will you be my friend!) is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Kunal Kohli and produced by Yash Chopra for his banner, Yash Raj Films. The film stars Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, with Uday Chopra in a supporting role. The film follows the love triangle of 3 childhood friends: Pooja (Mukerji), Raj (Roshan) and Tina (Kapoor).[2]

Mujhse Dosti Karoge!
Theatrical-release poster
Directed byKunal Kohli
Written by
Produced byYash Chopra
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
  • Ritesh Soni
  • V. Karnik
Music byRahul Sharma
Production
company
Release date
  • 9 August 2002 (2002-08-09)
Running time
148 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹120 million[1]
Box office₹336.1 million[1]

Mujhse Dosti Karoge! marked the directorial debut of Kohli, who also wrote the dialogue and co-wrote the screenplay and story with Aditya Chopra. The film's cinematography was jointly handled by Ravi K. Chandran and Gopal Shah, while Rahul Sharma served as the soundtrack composer.

Made on a budget of ₹120 million (US$1.4 million), Mujhse Dosti Karoge! was released on 9 August 2002. Despite much hype due to its A-list star-cast, it failed to attract an audience, grossing ₹336.1 million (US$4.0 million), and received mixed reviews from critics upon release. It became the sixth highest-grossing film of the year.[3]

For her performance, Kapoor was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 4th IIFA Awards. Mujhse Dosti Karoge! marked the only film collaboration between Roshan and Mukherji.[4]

Plot

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Pooja Sahani, Raj Khanna, and Tina Kapoor are childhood friends. While Raj has always been attracted to Tina, he is unaware that Pooja is secretly in love with him. Raj's father decides to move to London with his family because of his work. Before leaving, Raj makes Tina promise to keep in touch with him via e-mail. Tina, who is fun-loving and distracted, does not want the responsibility, so instead of her, Pooja writes to Raj, signing the emails as "Tina" instead of her own name so that Tina can keep her promise to Raj. Over the years, they become close while exchanging e-mails to each other.

15 years later, Raj returns to India for vacation. By now, he is in love with the girl he has been writing to and believes he will recognise her at first sight. So they both decide not to exchange their photographs before his arrival. When the three meet, Raj walks past Pooja, not recognising her as he said he would, but recognises Tina, becoming smitten with her and thinking she wrote him the emails all these years. He does not notice that the real Tina is completely different from the Tina he knew from the emails. Tina later introduces Pooja, and they become friends again. Tina, despite being aware of the fact that she is not the one who Raj has been talking to for years and is also not the one he really loves, gives into his flirting and courting and falls in love with him. Their parents gladly announce their engagement. Heartbroken by this, Pooja decides to never disclose her feelings to anyone.

Raj returns to London, where Pooja travels for an interview. Raj takes Pooja to his favorite church, and she accidentally hums the tune of a song he wrote for her many years ago. Hearing this, Raj instantly realises that Pooja is the one who had been writing to him all those years and remembers all the little things he had shared in the e-mails that she knows about. He tells her she is the one he truly loves, and the two decide to get married. Back in India, Tina's father dies, leaving her all alone. His last wish was that Tina would marry Raj, and Pooja's parents said that they would perform all the rituals in the absence of Tina's parents. Seeing that Tina is alone now, Pooja refuses to marry Raj. Raj is against this and insists on telling his parents the truth, but Pooja stops him. He angrily vows that he will only marry Tina if Pooja marries someone else on the same day.

The families travel to London for Raj and Tina's marriage. Rohan Verma, a friend of Raj, meets Pooja during the engagement party of Raj and Tina and is instantly attracted to her. Pooja agrees to marry Rohan to satisfy Raj's ultimatum and ensure Tina's happiness. On the day of the marriage, Tina realises that Raj is in love with Pooja, as she sees that Raj's ancestral family bracelets were a better fit for Pooja's wrist than hers. At the altar, Tina confronts Raj and Pooja, saying that she is not alone and is glad to have such great friends who are willing to sacrifice their love for her. The film ends with Pooja and Raj getting married.

Cast

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The cast is as follows:[5][6]

Production

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Development

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Mujhse Dosti Karoge! marked Kunal Kohli's directorial debut in Hindi Cinema.[7] The media reported that the film was based on the 1996 American romantic comedy The Truth About Cats & Dogs, but Kohli explained that "not one scene from it is the same. There is a track dealing with mistaken identity, but it isn't a rip-off."[8][9] It was produced by Yash Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films, and Aditya Chopra co-wrote the story and screenplay with Kohli.[5] The dialogue was written by Kohli.[6] Neil Nitin Mukesh served as the assistant director.[10]

Casting

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The film marked Mukerji and Roshan's only film collaboration.

Rani Mukerji, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor were cast as the leads;[8] it marked the latter two's third collaboration, after Yaadein (2001) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001).[11][12] Uday Chopra was cast as Rohan opposite Mukerji, in an extended cameo.[13] Barkha Singh played the role of young Tina.[14]

Mukherji, who features as Pooja Sahani, said that she "loved every moment of working" on Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, and described the film as a "privilege" for her.[15] On her equation with Roshan, Mukerji added, "We got along really well. Besides having a similar pattern of working, it is important to establish a comfort level between coactors. Mujhse Dosti Karoge was one big picnic."[16]

Roshan portrays Raj Khanna, a part that he compared with his role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). He spoke of his rapport with Mukherji, claiming that it "was a pleasure working with her. She is very professional, very friendly and easygoing. She leaves all negativity behind when she comes on the sets." Interviewed by Rediff.com, he said that Mujhse Dosti Karoge! was "a very, very intense film", adding, "The second half is propelled forward by the intensity of my character." He further stated that the film "more [...] about 3 friends than a love triangle".[17]

Meanwhile, Kapoor stars as the fun-loving girl Tina Kapoor. She was initially reluctant to star in the film, because she was to play the second lead after Mukherji. However, according to The Times of India, Kohli and Chopra convinced her to accept it.[18] She found the role to be "very glamorous, typical of what people would expect of me", and believed that her fans, especially male, would like it. She noted, "I play a loser, yet emerge the winner. This is not a goody-goody heroine who gets the hero. My role has better scope. I am the life of the film. The other characters are sad most of the time." To prepare for her introductory scene, the actress did not eat for 3–4 days (this was inconsistently reported)[9] as she wanted to "look great as it involved exposing my midriff". Moreover, Kapoor confessed that her looks were the main priority while preparing for her role in the film.[19]

Filming

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A portion of the film was shot at the Kensington Gardens

Made on a budget of ₹120 million (US$1.4 million),[20] principal photography was handled by Ravi K. Chandran and Gopal Shah.[5] The filming took place in Shimla, Manali, Film City, London and other places in both Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[5][21] Ahmed Khan was the choreographer, while Manish Malhotra and Rocky Star were the costume designers. While Anuj Mathur designed the sound, Sharmishta Roy served as the art director. After the filming ended, the film was edited by Ritesh Soni and V. Karnik.[5][22]

Soundtrack

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Mujhse Dosti Karoge!
Soundtrack album by
Rahul Sharma
Released12 June 2002
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length31:20
LabelYRF Music (digital)
Saregama (physical)
ProducerYash Chopra
Singles from Mujhse Dosti Karoge!
  1. "Andekhi Anjaani"
    Released: 12 June 2002
  2. "Saanwali Si Ek Ladki"
    Released: 12 June 2002

The soundtrack for Mujhse Dosti Karoge! was composed by the debutant Rahul Sharma; he accepted the offer in April 2001 when he was on a concert tour with his father Shivkumar Sharma.[23] Rahul Sharma described its soundtrack as "young and fresh", adding, "[It] is about urban young people, so the music had to be romantic and soft." He used santoor, flute and an orchestra contains 60 violinists for the background score.[24] In later years, he told The Hindu that composing the film's soundtrack was a "great" and "learning" experience.[25][26] The lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi, with vocals performed by Alisha Chinai, Alka Yagnik, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, and Sonu Nigam.[5][27] The soundtrack album was released on 12 June 2002 by Saregama.[28][29]

Mujhse Dosti Karoge (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)[30]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Andekhi Anjaani"Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan6:17
2."Jaane Dil Mein" (Part 1)Lata Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam5:45
3."Saanwali Si Ek Ladki"Udit Narayan4:05
4."Oh My Darling"Alisha Chinai, Sonu Nigam6:07
5."Mujhse Dosti Karoge!"Alka Yagnik, Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan5:01
6."Jaane Dil Mein" (Part 2)Lata Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam2:48
7."Terrific Tina" (Instrumental) 1:17
8."The Medley"Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Pamela Chopra12:05
Total length:43:25

Critical reception

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The soundtrack received mixed reviews from music critics;[31] Narendra Kusnur of Mid-Day called it "hummable", and wrote, "Rahul's orchestration style is youthful, and the use of guitars is interesting and innovative." Kusnur, however, felt that "some songs have that typical [Yash] Chopra['s] banner flavour that has become very predictable and hackneyed of late".[32] In a review published in the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama, Joginder Tuteja believed that Sharma "does a superb job in churning out a number of melodies in one single package".[33] The Hindu elaborated, "The title song ... is quite hummable. With quite a bit of Western tunes synthesized with Indian, this song is likely to hit the charts. A rather lengthy medley of various Hindi songs from old and new films is inserted."[34]

Charts and sales

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According to the film-trade website Box Office India, with around 1.2 million units sold, the soundtrack became the eleventh highest-selling music album of the year.[35]

Release

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Expectations for Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (one of the most-anticipated films of the year)[36] were high, as the film was Kohli's debut as a film director, and due to its A-list star cast.[7] It opened on 9 August 2002 and, conversely, emerged as a commercial failure.[1][9] The film was released on 290 screens across India and grossed ₹11.6 million (US$140,000) on its opening day. It collected ₹211 million (US$2.5 million) in India and $2.6 million overseas. Box Office India estimated the film's total gross to be ₹336.1 million (US$4.0 million) and concluded its final commercial performance with the verdict of "flop".[1] The film's world television premiere took place on 7 November 2002 on Zee Cinema,[37][38] while its DVD version was released on 11 November 2003 in a single-disc pack.[39] It was available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 8 March 2017.[40][41]

Reception

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Critical reception

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The film opened to mixed reviews; critics were appreciative of the leads' performances, but harshly criticized its "predictable" plot and "unremarkable" soundtrack.[31]

Writing for Bollywood Hungama, Taran Adarsh gave the film a rating of 1 star, noting that it "clearly belongs to Mukherji, who has the meatiest role comparatively". He believed that Mukherji was "superb in a role that fits her like a glove", but thought that Kapoor was "relegated to the background completely".[42] In a 2.5 star review, Subhash K. Jha saw that "Kohli tries hard to bring in his own touch to the [Yash] Chopra-esque ambience".[43] Derek Elley of Variety said that Kapoor "largely reprises her pampered bimbo" from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., and praised Roshan for "proves a smart mover and good dance talent".[44] Manish Gajjar of the BBC shared similar thoughts of Kapoor: "[She] as Tina looks ravishingly beautiful and shows great flair for comedy in this film. Although the audience will be reminded of her character of Poo from Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham...."[45]

Outlook magazine's Namrata Joshi, who rated the film 1 star, declared it as "avoidable"; she was highly critical of Roshan, who she deemed "makes a poor parody of himself".[46] Sukanya Verma opined, "First-time director Kohli is impressive. He keeps a tight grip of the plot and displays a keen attention to screenplay. Every character in the film is well-defined and sound. The film moves at a brisk pace and the audience is not left to pinpoint loopholes."[47] Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India claimed that Mukherji "scores almost full marks for her heart-rending performance",[48] with Empire's Omar Ahmed appreciated her for "saving" the film.[49] Khalid Mohammed observed of Kapoor: "Of the cast, [She] is reliably spry and saucy but should take care not to repeat her hoity-toity act if she is to escape typecasting."[50] S. Ramachandran from Mid-Day wrote that "Despite its numerous flaws, a fabulous performance by Roshan, an emotionally-powered role from Mukherji and a sporadically-intense act from Kapoor drive the film".[51] Stardust hailed, "Though Kohli has handled some scenes with sensitivity and maturity he fails in many others, which gives the feeling of déjà vu."[52]

Box office

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Mujhse Dosti Karoge! failed to attract an audience, grossing ₹336.1 million (US$4.2 million), and received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Despite this, It became the sixth highest-grossing film of the year.[3] It is also one of the top earners of the decade in India and at the foreign box office.[53]

Accolades

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List of accolades received by Saathiya
Award Date of ceremony[a] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Bollywood Movie Awards 3 May 2003 Best Costume Designer Manish Malhotra Nominated [54]
International Indian Film Academy Awards 15–17 May 2003 Best Supporting Actress Kareena Kapoor Nominated [55]

Legacy

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Time Out placed Mujhse Dosti Karoge! at 93rd position in its "The 100 best Bollywood movies" list.[56] Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'s song "Andekhi Anjaani" was used in a sequence of the 2004 Hindi film Hum Tum, a film by Kunal Kohli starring Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan.[57][58] In 2023, the film was part of the docu-series The Romantics, through the segment "The New Guard".[59][60]

See also

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Notes

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Mujhse Dosti Karoge!". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Kareena, Rani, Hrithik in viral pic from Mujhse Dosti Karoge sets. Don't miss Neil Nitin Mukesh". India Today. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Top Worldwide Grossers 2002". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Mujhse Dosti Karoge Cast & Crew". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Mujhse Dosti Karoge! Cast". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b Adarsh, Taran (August 2002). "Crucial week for Hrithik & Kunal". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 14 December 2002. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b Times News Network (31 July 2002). "Kareena & Rani to Hrithik: Mujhse Dosti Karoge?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Jhunjhunwala, Udita (8 August 2002). "Hello cinema". Mid-Day. p. 24.
  10. ^ Bamzai, Kaveree (17 January 2008). "The boylet club". India Today. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  11. ^ Salam, Ziya Us (21 December 2001). "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 February 2002. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  12. ^ Ganapati, Priya (27 July 2001). "Yaadein: Hrithik's show all the way!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Our bonding has been great ever since we worked together in 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge': Uday Chopra on Rani Mukerji". News18. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  14. ^ Hegde, Raju (10 June 2016). "'Acting courses can't teach you how to act'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  15. ^ Dubey, Bharati (5 August 2002). "Friends forever". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  16. ^ DS (9 August 2002). "Bonds of Love". Screen. Archived from the original on 23 April 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
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  18. ^ Upadhyay, Karishma (3 August 2002). "Straight Answers". The Times of India. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
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  20. ^ Sreenivasan, Meena (12 August 2002). "Pepsi presents new Hindi film". New Straits Times. p. 38.
  21. ^ Iyer, Meena (25 November 2001). "Wonder Girl". The Times of India. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
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  23. ^ "Playing along". India Today. 16 April 2001. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  24. ^ Nandwani, Deepali (25 June 2005). "A new sound". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  25. ^ Udasi, Harshikaa (12 April 2011). "Santoor meets sax". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  26. ^ Kabra, Harsh (6 September 2009). "Call of the valley". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Mujhse Dosti Karoge (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Sunoji Dulhan to The Medley Song: The 7 longest Bollywood songs ever". Film Companion. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Ghar Aaja Pardesi to The Medley Song, remembering Pamela Chopra through her songs". India Today. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  30. ^ "MUJHSE DOSTI KAROGE - BOLLYWOOD HINDI MOVIE SOUNDTRACK CD. SAREGAMA / RPG". iTunes. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  31. ^ a b Mirani, Indu (17 September 2002). "Sur's tunes fail at BO". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2003. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  32. ^ Kusnur, Narendra (July 2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge!". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 12 August 2002. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  33. ^ Tuteja, Joginder (2002). "Music Review: Mujhse Dosti Karoge". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 2 August 2002. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Chords & Notes". The Hindu. 5 August 2002. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  35. ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  36. ^ Adarsh, Taran (9 July 2002). "Movie Preview: Mujhse Dosti Karoge". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  37. ^ Bhattacharya, Chandrima S. (22 November 2002). "Films nudge trailing channels". The Telegraph. Mumbai, India. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  38. ^ "Confusion over status of some film on Zee list". Indian Television. 11 October 2002. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Mujhse Dosti Karoge". Amazon. 11 November 2003. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  40. ^ "Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (English Subtitled)". Amazon Prime Video. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  41. ^ "Mujse Dosti Karoge". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  42. ^ Adarsh, Taran (9 August 2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  43. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (29 July 2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge Hindi Movie Review". NowRunning.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  44. ^ Elley, Derek (16 August 2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge!". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  45. ^ Gajjar, Manish (August 2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge". BBC. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  46. ^ Joshi, Namrata (20 August 2002). "Soggy Samosas With Cold Tea". Outlook. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  47. ^ Verma, Sukanya (9 August 2002). "Why Hrithik is a heartthrob!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  48. ^ Mukherjee, Madhureeta (23 August 2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  49. ^ Ahmed, Omar (2002). "Mujhse Dosti Karoge Review". Empire. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  50. ^ Mohammed, Khalid (10 August 2002). "Pooh pooh". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 21 October 2002. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  51. ^ Ramachandran, S. (10 August 2002). "Only parathas". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 27 August 2002. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  52. ^ "Mujhse Dosti Karoge". Stardust. August 2002. Archived from the original on 27 September 2002. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  53. ^ "Box Office India overseas earners". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  54. ^ "March 12th 2003 press release: Nominees for Bollywood Awards chosen by fans". Bollywood Movie Awards. 12 March 2003. Archived from the original on 19 April 2003. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  55. ^ Adarsh, Taran (May 2003). "Stars Descend on Johannesburg". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  56. ^ "The 100 best Bollywood movies". Time Out Editors. Time Out. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  57. ^ "Hum Tum: Lesser known facts!". The Times of India. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  58. ^ "15 Cheesy Love Stories For The Die-Hard Romantic In You". Film Companion. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  59. ^ Subramaniam, Tara. "'Cinema of aspiration': The romance filmmakers who redefined Bollywood's quintessential genre". CNN. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  60. ^ "The Romantics Review: The YRF Docu-series works best when it focuses on films over family". Hindustan Times. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
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