| Main Hoon Na | |
| Director: | Farah Khan |
| Producer: | Gauri Khan Ratan Jain |
| Story: | Farah Khan |
| Starring: | Shah Rukh Khan Sushmita Sen Sunil Shetty Amrita Rao Zayed Khan |
| Music: | Score: Ranjit Barot Songs: Anu Malik |
| Cinematography: | V. Manikandan |
| Editing: | Shirish Kunder |
| Studio: | Red Chillies Entertainment Venus Movies |
| Distributor: | Eros International |
| Runtime: | 182 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Hindi |
| Gross: | 89.7 crore[1] |
Main Hoon Na is a 2004 Hindi-language masala film directed by Farah Khan and produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment. The film, which marks Farah Khan's directorial debut, stars Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Suniel Shetty, Amrita Rao, and Zayed Khan, alongside Kirron Kher, Murali Sharma, Kabir Bedi, Boman Irani, and Naseeruddin Shah. In the film, Major Ram Prasad Sharma is sent on a covert mission to pose as a college student and protect the general's daughter from a dangerous rogue soldier.[2]
Development for the film began as early as 2001; however, it faced a number of delays during production. Main Hoon Na is notable for approaching the Indo-Pakistani conflict from a neutral perspective. Filming took place at St. Paul's School and the surrounding state of West Bengal. The film is also the first production of Red Chillies Entertainment.[3]
Main Hoon Na was released on 30 April 2004 to positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success by grossing ₹84 crore, thus becoming the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2004, only surpassed by another Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Veer-Zaara.[4]
At the 50th Filmfare Awards, Main Hoon Na received 12 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Farah), Best Actor (Shah Rukh), Best Supporting Actress (Rao), Best Supporting Actor (Zayed) and Best Villain (Shetty), winning Best Music Director (Anu Malik). A snippet of "Lament" from Light of Aiden (Celtic Version) is used throughout the film.
India and Pakistan launch Project Milaap, a prisoner exchange program, in an attempt to de-escalate tensions between the two nations. Raghavan Dutta, a former Indian special forces soldier discharged for executing Pakistani citizens in revenge for his son's death, fires a shot at General Amarjeet Bakshi, but Brigadier Shekhar Sharma takes the bullet at a press conference. Raghavan runs a militant group with a former comrade, Captain Khan, where he sets against peace between the two rival countries.
On his deathbed, Shekhar informs his son Major Ram Prasad Sharma about his other son Lakshman Prasad Sharma and wife Madhu, who left him 20 years ago because Shekhar had cheated on his wife with Ram's mother. Shekhar asks Ram to bring his family together and that his ashes will be immersed by his sons, saying that he can finally be at peace if his family forgives him.
Meanwhile, General Bakshi sends Ram on a covert mission to protect his daughter Sanjana, who studies at St. Pauls College in Darjeeling. Ram is initially hesitant but agrees when Bakshi informs him that Lakshman also studies in Darjeeling. General Bakshi convinces Ram to go there as a student, as he won't be able to spend enough time with Sanjana if he goes as a teacher. Ram finds it tough to adjust to college life because he is much older than everyone. He encounters Sanjana and her love interest Lucky, but both don't want to know him for this reason.
A college student helps Ram hack the college computer to find out about Lakshman's identity, only to find that Lucky is actually Lakshman. During a race to get the college flag, Lakshman is saved from falling off the university's roof by Ram. The two of them and Sanjana become friends, and Ram moves in with Lakshman and Madhu. Outside a cinema, Ram saves his classmate Percy from an assassination attempt by Khan; Ram captures him, but his own identity is found out by Raghavan, who arrives at the university masquerading as a teacher.
Ram also brings Madhu and Lakshman closer by helping them bond during his stay there. Ram falls in love with his chemistry professor Chandni, while Lakshman falls in love with Sanjana after Ram and Chandni give her a makeover. At prom, Raghavan orders a kidnapping on Chandni, but she is saved by Ram. After meeting with Sanjana, Ram requests Raghavan to drop the pair off with her father at her hostel, where Sanjana reconciles with her father. After this night, Sanjana and Chandni discover Ram's true identity. Raghavan reveals Ram's true identity to Lakshman and his mother.
When Lakshman and Madhu confront Ram, Ram informs them that his father's last wish implored him to reconcile with his family. As they are not ready to accept him yet, Ram leaves their home and the university. Later, Raghavan holds the university hostage, demanding the cancelation of Project Milaap along with the return of Captain Khan and Ram as hostages in exchange for all the students' and teachers' lives. Upon being informed, Ram immediately returns to the university. Before fully entering the hostage situation, Ram encounters Madhu and apologizes.
Knowing what Ram is about to do, Madhu accepts him as a son. Accompanying Khan, Ram enters the building and gets subsequently shot by Khan. Ram survives, changes Khan's mind about his allegiances, and proceeds to kill the guards, thus freeing the students. Raghavan shoots Khan dead at point blank range for his betrayal. A fight ensues between Ram and Raghavan, and Ram kills Raghavan by removing the safety pin from the latter's hand grenade.
Lakshman helps Ram escape from the ensuing explosion from aboard a helicopter and the two happily embrace as brothers. Project Milaap is a success and all the prisoners are exchanged triumphantly. Ram and Lakshman immerse their father's ashes together as Madhu tearfully looks on. Finally, Lakshman and Ram graduate from the university, and the entire university rejoices.
The film was planned by Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan in 2001. The shooting of the film had to begin in October 2001 but later that year, Shahrukh Khan got badly injured while shooting an action sequence for (2002) due to which he suffered pain in filming for his other projects. He was later sent to the UK for treatment and the film was subsequently shelved. The film was later revived in 2003 after Shahrukh Khan came back from the UK; Farah Khan wanted to name it The Outsider. After some of her friends suggested that the title she wants matches that of a 1983 Hollywood film, she finalized the title Main Hoon Na for the film though Shahrukh Khan was unhappy at that time with the title, thinking the title was incomplete, but later changed his mind after listening to the recording of the film's title song.
At a time when the film was revived in 2003, Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, and Sohail Khan were considered for Lucky's role. Due to unknown reasons, none of the three accepted the film; Zayed Khan was later signed. Ameesha Patel was offered Sanju's role but rejected the character due to date issues, as did then-newcomer Ayesha Takia when she was also approached who also declined, after which Amrita Rao was finalized for the role.[5]
Shah Rukh Khan asked Farah Khan to approach Kamal Haasan, suggesting that Haasan owed him a favor for his role in Hey Ram (2000).[6] Haasan heard the script but turned down the role citing that it would portray him as an anti-national.[7]
Main Hoon Na received positive reviews from critics.
Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote "Main Hoon Na reinforces your faith in Bollywood commercial cinema. The film is a wholesome entertainer that has something for everyone."[8] Jamie Russell of BBC wrote "A bonkers 'masala' movie, Main Hoon Na could be the mutant offspring of Grease and The Matrix. Part-thriller, part high-school comedy and all Bollywood musical, it's the directorial debut of Farah Khan."[9]
Main Hoon Na was the second-highest grossing Indian film of 2004 behind Veer-Zaara (also a Shahrukh Khan-starrer set against India-Pakistan backdrop).[10] It made in India and an additional in the overseas market.
| Main Hoon Na | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Anu Malik |
| Released: | 27 February 2004 |
| Recorded: | YRF Studios (Mumbai) |
| Genre: | Feature film soundtrack |
| Language: | Hindi |
| Label: | T-Series |
| Producer: | Anu Malik |
The music was composed by Anu Malik.[11] The lyrics were provided by Javed Akhtar. The soundtrack earned Malik his second Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 2.1 million units sold, the film's soundtrack album was one of the highest selling Bollywood soundtracks of the year. Sonu Nigam received several award nominations and won an MTV Immies Best Male Playback Singer Award.[12]
| Global Indian Film Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipients and Nominees | Results | |||
| Best Director | Farah Khan | ||||
| Best Actor | |||||
| Best Villain | Suniel Shetty | ||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Abhijeet Bhattacharya (for "Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha") | ||||
| Best Art Director | Sabu Cyril | ||||
| Best Action | Allan Amin | ||||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipients and Nominees | Results | ||||
| Best Director | Farah Khan | |||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Zayed Khan | |||||
| Best Villain | Suniel Shetty | |||||
| Best Debut Director | ||||||
| Best Music Director | Anu Malik | |||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Sonu Nigam (for "Main Hoon Na") | |||||
| Rajtaru Video Sonic, Eagle Video Films | ||||||
| Star Screen Awards | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipients and Nominees | Results | ||||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Zayed Khan | |||||||
| Best Music Director | Anu Malik | |||||||
| Best Lyricist | Javed Akhtar (for "Main Hoon Na") | |||||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Sonu Nigam (for "Main Hoon Na") | |||||||
| Best Background Music | Ranjit Barot | |||||||
| Best Choreography | Farah Khan (for "Gori Gori") | |||||||
| Best Action | ||||||||
| Best Publicity Design | Rahul Nanda and Himanshu Nanda | |||||||
| Best Sound Recording | Shirish Kunder and Rakesh Ranjan | |||||||
| Zee Cine Awards | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipients and Nominees | Results | |||||||||
| Best Film (Critics) | Red Chillies Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Best Director | Farah Khan | ||||||||||
| Best Actor (Critics) | Shahrukh Khan | ||||||||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Sushmita Sen | ||||||||||
| Most Promising Director | Farah Khan | ||||||||||
| Best Female Debut | |||||||||||
| Best Music Director | Anu Malik | ||||||||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Sonu Nigam (for "Main Hoon Na") | ||||||||||
| Best Track of the Year | "Tumse Milke" | ||||||||||
| Best Background Score | Ranjit Barot | ||||||||||
| Best Art Direction | Sabu Cyril | ||||||||||
| Best Costume Design | Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra | ||||||||||
The film was remade in Tamil as Aegan and was released in 27 October 2008.[15]