1942: A Love Story

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1942: A Love Story
1942 A Love Story 1994 film poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Written byScreenplay:
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Dialogues:
Kamna Chandra
Story byKamna Chandra
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Produced byVidhu Vinod Chopra
Starring Anil Kapoor
Manisha Koirala
Jackie Shroff
Chandni
Danny Denzongpa
Pran
Cinematography Binod Pradhan
Edited by Renu Saluja
Music bySongs:
R. D. Burman
Score:
Manohari Singh
Babloo Chakravorty
Distributed bySLB Films
Vinod Chopra Productions
Release date
  • 15 July 1994 (1994-07-15)
Running time
157 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹47.5 million [1]
Box office₹69.9 million [1]

1942: A Love Story, also known as 1942 A Love Story, is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language patriotic romantic drama film, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It stars Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff, with Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, Pran and Brian Glover. The film revolves around lovers Naren (Kapoor) and Rajjo (Koirala), who come from contrasting family backgrounds and depicts how their relationship is threatened owing to the outbreak of the Indian revolutionary movement.

Contents

The film's core plot was reported to be inspired by the 1992 Kannada-language film Mysore Mallige , [2] which itself was based on the 1942 work of same title by K. S. Narasimhaswamy. [3] The screenplay was jointly written by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Kamna Chandra and Chopra. Binod Pradhan acted as the cinematographer while Renu Saluja edited the film. R. D. Burman composed the highly successful soundtrack with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar. This was the last film work of R. D. Burman, who died before the release of the film. It was the first Indian film on Dolby Stereo.

Plot

The film is set in 1942, when the British Raj was declining in power. It was a time when many Indian citizens were either working for the British regime or rallying in underground meetings and protests against them. In this atmosphere, Narendra Singh (Anil Kapoor) falls in love with Rajeshwari Pathak (Manisha Koirala). Their romance is shown developing in spite of the political and social unrest at the time.

Narendra's father, Diwan Hari Pratap Singh (Manohar Singh) is a loyal British employee working for the brutal British General Douglas (Brian Glover), who is infamous for tracking down and executing citizens who are believed to be revolutionaries. Rajeshwari's father, Raghuveer Pathak (Anupam Kher) is a revolutionary fighting against British rule, as he holds a grudge against Douglas for murdering his son. When Narendra asks Raghuveer for Rajeshwari's hand in marriage, Raghuveer becomes livid. However, Narendra declares that he is willing to sacrifice everything for Rajeshwari and convinces Raghuveer of his love for her. Raghuveer relents but tells Narendra to talk to his father first. When Narendra does so, Hari is angry that his son has chosen the daughter of a revolutionary, but he pretends that he will do anything for Narendra's happiness.

However, Hari tricks Narendra into revealing Raghuveer's secret location and leaks the information to Major Bisht (Danny Dengzongpa) and the British authorities. Soon, police barge into Raghuveer's hideaway and try to kill him, only to find him waiting to light a bomb, killing both himself and the men. Rajeshwari, who was out at that time, realizes what has happened and runs away. She is taken into refuge by Shubhankar (Jackie Shroff), a compatriot of Raghuveer who has learned of his death. Under Shubhankar's tutelage, Rajeshwari follows her father's revolutionary path. Meanwhile, Narendra gets furious at his father for using him to kill Raghuveer and drive Rajeshwari away. Promising to make up to Rajeshwari and help her cause, Narendra pledges to become a revolutionary by severing all ties with his father; even Bisht's daughter Chanda (Chandni) does the same after witnessing Bisht murdering her teacher Abid Ali Baig (Pran), who is a revolutionary allied with Shubhankar, much to Bisht's remorse.

To prove his point, Narendra attempts to murder Douglas in front of the city but is caught in the act after shooting down a few soldiers. Narendra is then convicted and sentenced to hang for attempted murder. Douglas then orders his troops to fire at the town square, resulting in the deaths of several citizens, including Chanda. However, Shubhankar saves Narendra from being hanged, and Bisht develops a change of heart after witnessing Chanda's death, helping Shubhankar and Narendra finish off Hari and the remaining loyalists and stabbing Douglas with a flagpole. With the loyalists dead, Narendra reconciles with Rajeshwari while Shubhankar hangs Douglas to death, avenging all those who perished under Douglas' wrath. The film ends with Narendra, Rajeshwari, Shubhankar, Bisht, and the surviving citizens hoisting and saluting the Indian flag.

Cast

Production

Development

Vinod told me that he only makes dark films. I said I have a love story and asked him to listen to it. I read him two or three ideas and he liked one and asked me to develop it. After a year's hardship and constant quarrels and bickering, I finished the script and dialogues. Then one day Vinod called and said, 'I don't want a love story set in today's time. What if we take this story and set it in another era?'

—Chandra, about writing the script for 1942: A Love Story [4]

Kamna Chandra, one of the script writers of the film, had gone to the United States to meet her daughters Tanuja and Anupama (whom Vidhu Vinod Chopra would later marry) as they were studying there. Having watched Chopra's film Parinda on video and being impressed with it, both of them asked their mother to write a story and approach him to direct it. Chandra had previously written Prem Rog and Chandni ; both were love stories. She knew Chopra made "dark films", but decided to meet him. [4]

After returning, Chandra met Chopra at Natraj Studios. She made him listen to two or three of her ideas, among which he liked one and asked her to develop it. Chandra finished the script and dialogues by a year, until a day when Chopra himself called her and suggested that they should make a love story set in another era instead of the present time. This provoked Chandra, who could not sleep that night. However, she became excited in the next few days. Having grown up amidst the Indian freedom struggle, she decided to place the story at that time. This formed the core plot for 1942: A Love Story. [4]

Casting

Aamir Khan had initially been offered the role of Narendra, but he declined. [5] Anil Kapoor was then approached, who was hesitant to do the film and suggested Bobby Deol and Aamir Khan for the role. However, he was later convinced. To prepare himself for the role, Kapoor worked hard — he lost weight, cut short his hair, trimmed his moustache and worked on his costumes to create the character. [6] Shah Rukh Khan was under consideration for the role later portrayed by Raghuvir Yadav. He did not feature as he had already been playing lead roles. [5] Jackie Shroff, being cast as Shubankar, gave financial assistance to the film. For instance, some (extra) houses built at the film's set (which were first disapproved of by Vidhu Vinod Chopra due to the limited budget) were paid for by Shroff. Moreover, he also paid composer R. D. Burman on behalf of Chopra when he made them listen the music of the film for the very first time. [4]

Chopra had crafted the role of Rajeshwari Pathak in accordance to Madhuri Dixit, with lyricist Javed Akhtar also keeping her in mind while penning the lyrics for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To". [5] By the time the film was launched, Dixit had packed schedules, which subsequently prevented her inclusion in the film. Manisha Koirala, who had auditioned for the role of Rajjo's sister (the role being later excluded), was then asked by Chopra to give a screen test. [5] But, after seeing Koirala enacting a scene, Chopra deemed her a "terrible actress". Koirala, however, asked him for a second chance. She went back home, practised her lines and came back prepared the next day. She pleased Chopra with her performance and was thereafter signed. [7] Ashwini Bhave was also one of those who had auditioned for the role. She was rejected on the spot. [8]

Nana Patekar, who had previously worked with Chopra in Parinda (1989), was selected to portray Raghuvir Pathak. But he insisted on being cast as Shubankar, which caused a rift between him and Chopra. Anupam Kher was later signed for the role. Mithun Chakraborty had also been briefly considered for the role of Shubankar, when Shroff developed date issues. The distributors, however, somehow made Chopra retain Shroff in the film. Since the production started in the early 90s, it was speculated that Sanjay Kapoor was to replace his brother Anil as the latter's film Lamhe (1991) had not been successful. Nevertheless, it did not materialize. [8]

Filming

Principal photography for the film, being handled by Binod Pradhan, took place mainly at various locations in Himachal Pradesh, including the district Chamba, Dalhousie, Khajjiar and the Kalatop Sanctuary to depict pre-independence India. [8] An artificial set resembling Dalhousie was created in the Mumbai Filmcity, since it was an expensive proposition to take the entire cast and crew there. It was erected by art director Nitin Desai at a cost of ₹80 lakhs. According to Desai, many people told Chopra not to hire him, as he was a newcomer; yet Chopra had full faith in him. [4]

Music

The Music Director of the film was Rahul Dev Burman who died before the release of the film, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The background Score was By Manohari Singh and Babloo Chakraborty.R. D. Burman won his last Filmfare Award for Best Music Director and Javed Akthar bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To". Kumar Sanu won his 5th consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To" and Kavita Krishnamurthy won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Pyar Hua Chupke Se", the first of her hat-trick feat. The soundtrack was #13 on the list of "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time", as compiled by Planet Bollywood. The music in the introduction of the film is from Gustav Holst's The Planets - Mars the bringer of war.

#SongSinger
1."Ek Ladki Ko Dekha" Kumar Sanu
2."Pyar Hua Chupke Se" Kavita Krishnamurthy
3."Rooth Na Jana" Kumar Sanu
4."Kuchh Na Kaho" (Happy) Kumar Sanu
5."Rim Jhim Rim Jhim" Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kumar Sanu
6."Yeh Safar" Shibaji Chatterjee
7."Kuch Na Kaho" (Sad) Lata Mangeshkar

Release

1942: A Love Story was released on 15 April 1994. [9] It opened to positive reviews from critics, with praise drawn towards the cast performances, cinematography, and the soundtrack by R. D. Burman. [10] Amitabh Bachchan had attended the preview screening of the film and congratulated Chopra for his endeavour. [11]

Accolades

Award [lower-alpha 1] Date of ceremony [lower-alpha 2] CategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Filmfare Awards 25 February 1995 Best Film Vidhu Vinod Chopra Nominated [12]
[13]
Best Director Nominated
Best Actor Anil Kapoor Nominated
Best Actress Manisha Koirala Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jackie Shroff Won
Best Music Director R. D. Burman Won
Best Lyricist Javed Akhtar for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To"Won
Best Male Playback Singer Kumar Sanu for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To"Won
Best Female Playback Singer Kavita Krishnamurthy for "Pyaar Hua Chupke Se"Won
Best Cinematography Binod Pradhan Won
Best Art Direction Nitin Chandrakant Desai Won
Best Editing Renu Saluja Won
Best Sound Design Jitendra Chaudhary, Namita NayakWon
Screen Awards 1995 Best Supporting Actor Anupam Kher Won [14]
Best Music Director R. D. Burman Won
Best Lyricist Javed Akhtar for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To"Won
Best Male Playback Singer Kumar Sanu for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To"Won
Best Art Direction Nitin Chandrakant Desai Won
Best Cinematography Binod Pradhan Won
Best Sound DesignJitendra Chaudhary, Namita NayakWon

Notes

  1. ↑ Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
  2. ↑ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

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References

  1. 1 2 "1942: A Love Story (1994)". Box office India . Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Contributions of Kannada Cinema to Historical Dramas". prekshaa.in. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "ಕನ್ನಡದ ಅನನ್ಯ 'ಪ್ರೇಮಕವಿ'" [Kannada's unique 'love poet'] (in Kannada). Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Movies: How 1942 A Love Story was made". Rediff.com . 4 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 शुक्ल, पंकज (15 April 2021). "Bioscope S2: शाहरुख के लिए सोचा गया था '1942 ए लव स्टोरी' में ये वाला रोल, ऐसे हुई मनीषा की एंट्री" [Bioscope S2: This role in '1942 A Love Story' was thought for Shah Rukh; Manisha's entry happened in this way]. Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Bhasin, Shriya (4 November 2019). "Anil Kapoor reveals why he initially refused '1942: A Love Story'". India TV . Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "When Manisha Koirala Almost Got Rejected for '1942: A Love Story'". The Quint . 3 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 "Revisiting 1942: A Love Story – 42 interesting facts about the epic romance". Cinema Express. 6 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Roy Chowdhury, Rishita (15 April 2021). "Anil Kapoor celebrates 27 years of 1942: A Love Story". India Today. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  10. ↑ Chandra, Anupama (15 June 1994). "Soundtrack of '1942: A Love Story' marks the revival of romance, poetry in Hindi film music". India Today . Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Agarwal, Amit (31 May 1993). "Commercial, but not cliched". India Today. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "40th Filmfare Awards 1995 Nominations". Indian Times . The Times Group. Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "40th Filmfare Awards 1995 Winners". Indian Times . The Times Group. Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Screen Award winners for the year 1994 are". Screen India . Indian Express Limited. Archived from the original on 16 January 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
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