| Filhaal... | |
| Starring: | Sushmita Sen Tabu Sanjay Suri Palash Sen |
| Director: | Meghna Gulzar |
| Producer: | Jhamu Sughand |
| Cinematography: | Manmohan Singh |
| Editing: | Chandan Arora |
| Language: | Hindi |
| Music: | Songs: Anu Malik Score: Anjan Biswas |
Filhaal... is a 2002 Indian romance film directed by Meghna Gulzar.[1] It stars Sushmita Sen, Tabu, Sanjay Suri and Palash Sen. Meghna Gulzar, daughter of lyricist Gulzar and actress Raakhee, made her directorial debut with the film. The film was critically well received,[2] [3] [4] especially the performance of Sushmita Sen, who was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.[5]
Rewa Singh and Sia Sheth are best friends. Having grown up together, the pair is inseparable and always there for each other. However, they are very different when it comes to what they want from life. Rewa is a family-oriented girl; she does not have a boyfriend and is committed to building her own stable family after marriage. Sia is very different; she is a free spirit and lives life on her own terms. She has a boyfriend, Sahil, who has proposed marriage to her three times, but she has turned him down, saying that her career is more important at present and she will think of marriage later. Yet Sahil is determined to marry her and nobody else.
Through her family, Rewa meets Dhruv and marries him. Both of them want to start a family, but they soon find out that Rewa is unable to conceive. Rewa is devastated; Dhruv is very supportive but himself upset at the news. Indeed, Dhruv's stoicism and nobility make Rewa feel even more incomplete and empty, and she slowly sinks into depression.
Sia cannot bear to see her friend like this and offers a solution – she offers to become a surrogate mother to their child. Dhruv is horrified at the idea and strongly opposes Sia bearing the child, pointing to various problems, including emotionally complicating all of their lives. But the girls' insistence finally manages to sway him as well as their respective parents. Sia's pregnancy's news is also too much for even the ever-docile Sahil, who comes to know only after she's already pregnant and hence breaks off the relationship with Sia.
Rewa and Dhruv do everything to make sure that Sia takes care of herself and the baby stays healthy. However, cracks between Rewa and Sia begin to surface. Rewa is jealous that Dhruv is spending more time with Sia and is frustrated as she is not able to experience the joy of carrying a child. Rewa begins to lash out at Sia as the pregnancy begins taking a toll on her personal and professional life. Things come to a head when Sia decorates the baby's room while Rewa yells at her, telling her that she no longer wants the baby as it does not feel hers.
After a few complications, Sia gives birth to a baby girl and, as promised, hands her over to Rewa, repairing their relationship. Rewa accepts that both women's roles in her child's life are equally important, as she puts on a necklace with both Sia and Rewa's names around her baby's neck, similar to the ones both of them have been wearing for years.
The story ends on a happy note. Sahil rekindles his relationship with Sia and again proposes marriage. This time, she accepts.
The Music and Background score was composed by Anu Malik. The background score was composed by Anjan Biswas. All the lyrics were penned by Gulzar. The album opened to positive reviews and Planet Bollywood rated 9/10.[6] The tracklist featured 6 songs and one instrumental sung by eminent singers like Asha Bhosle, K.S.Chithra, KK and others. All the songs were hit tracks, but the tracks "Filhaal", "Kyun Baar Baar" & "Naya Naya" were considered to be chartbusters.
Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com wrote ″As I shuffled my feet while making way out of the theatre, the first thought after watching Filhaal was: It would be interesting to see what Meghna Gulzar could do with a fresher subject. She has promise. All she needs is a more original premise.″[3] Radhika Rajamani of The Hindu wrote ″he feel is modern- production wise it is slick. Anu Malik's music is good but too many songs detract the narrative. Manmohan Singh's camera is able to capture the myriad hues of life and color well. Performances on the mainstay of the film. The casting is certainly appropriate. It goes without saying that Tabu has done well. But it is the sterling performance (best up to date) of Sushmita Sen, which endears. Sanjay Suri and Palash Sen fit in well. An earnest attempt.″[4] Manish Gajjar of BBC.com wrote ″This is one of the very few classy movies from Bollywood which has been made with great intellect, style and conviction! It is a definite must-see!″[7]
Tiasa Bhowal in her retrospective review for India Today wrote ″Filhaal was a breath of fresh air, but the audience of almost two decades ago was not ready to accept a film that tried to normalise surrogacy, something that was considered taboo. Despite the film garnering appreciation from the critics, the response at the box office was lukewarm.″[8]