''Biwi No.1'' () is a 1999 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

David Dhawan David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Bollywood, Hindi films. A member of the List of Hindi film clans#Dhawan family, Dhawan family, he has directed over #Filmography, 42 films. The 1993 action thriller an ...

, being a remake of the 1995

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

film '' Sathi Leelavathi''. It stars

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films, in addition to Indian television and international films. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a ...

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...

Karisma Kapoor Karisma Kapoor (; born 25 June 1974) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. One of the leading and highest-paid actresses of the 1990s and early 2000s, Kapoor is a recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Karisma Kapoor ...

, Tabu, and

Sushmita Sen Sushmita Sen (; born 19 November 1975) is an Indian actress and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss Universe 1994, becoming the first Indian people, Indian woman to win the title. Sen has since predominantly worked in Hindi films, ...

in lead roles, with

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

and

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. The titular head of the Pataudi family since 2011, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore a ...

in special appearances. ''Biwi No.1'' opened to positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its screenplay, humor, and performances of the cast, particularly for Karisma Kapoor and Sen's performances, emerging as a breakthrough for the latter. ''Biwi No. 1'' proved to be a major commercial success at the box office, grossing 52.80 crore worldwide, ranking as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. At the 45th Filmfare Awards, ''Biwi No.1'' received 7 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Dhawan) and Best Actress (Karisma Kapoor), with Sen winning Best Supporting Actress.

Plot

Prem Mehra is married to the devoted and traditional Pooja Khanna, and the couple has two children. Prem, a successful advertising executive, meets aspiring model Rupali Walia during a modeling interview at his office. The two begin an

extramarital affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or solely em ...

, leading Prem to leave his wife and children to live with Rupali. Upon discovering the affair, Pooja, with the support of Prem's friend Lakhan, undergoes a transformation—adopting a modern lifestyle and pursuing a career in modeling. As part of her plan, she sends her children and mother-in-law to live with Prem and Rupali. Their presence causes strain in Prem's new relationship, as they intentionally create difficulties for Rupali, accusing her of neglect and ill intentions. Over time, Prem begins to see the superficial nature of his relationship with Rupali, realizing that she was drawn to him for his wealth and status, in contrast to Pooja, who had supported him unconditionally. Rupali eventually reunites with her former boyfriend, Deepak. Meanwhile, Lakhan, who had been assisting Pooja, shares a platonic bond with Rupali and refers to her as his sister. His wife, Lovely, witnesses a hug between them and misunderstands the situation, prompting her to leave. Lakhan follows her and clarifies the misunderstanding, reaffirming his love by calling her his "Biwi No.1."

Cast

as Dr. Lakhan Khurana *

as Prem Mehra *

as Pooja Mehra * Tabu as Lovely Khurana *

as Rupali Walia *

as Deepak Sharma (guest appearance) *

Himani Shivpuri Himani Bhatt Shivpuri is an Indian actress who is known for her character roles in Hindi films and Hindi soap operas. She is best known for her role in the films including '' Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'' (1994), ''Raja'' (1995), '' Dilwale Dulhan ...

as Sushila Mehra * Master Varun as Bunty "Billu" Khurana * Baby Karishma as Pinky Mehra * Master Shahrukh as Rinku Mehra *

Rajeev Verma Rajeev Verma (born 28 June 1949) is an Indian actor. He has worked in film and television. Early life Rajeev Verma is a veteran Indian actor, who works mainly in film and television. Verma was born in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh, India. He ...

as Harish Khanna * Kannu Gill as Meenakshi Khanna * Guddi Maruti as Travel Agent *

as himself (special appearance) Note:

Manisha Koirala Manisha Koirala (; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali people, Nepalese actress who works in Cinema of India, Indian films, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of ...

was first offered the role of Pooja, but upon her refusal, Karisma Kapoor was roped in.

Music

The ''Biwi No.1'' soundtrack was largely composed by

Anu Malik Anwar Sardar "Anu" Malik (born 2 November 1960) is an Indian music composer, singer, music arranger and score composer. He is the recipient of a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards, who primarily composes music for the Hindi film ...

and lyricized by Sameer except for the exceptions noted below. The songs "Chunnari Chunnari" and "Ishq Sona Hai" became major hits after their release in 1999. The track "Aan Milo Ya Milne Se" did not feature in the movie. "Chunari Chunari" was later used in the 2001 film '' Monsoon Wedding''.

Reception

Critical reception

''Biwi No.1'' opened to positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its screenplay, humor, and performances of the cast, with particular praise for Kapoor and Sen's performances, emerging as a breakthrough for the latter.

Box office

Despite clashing with the

1999 Cricket World Cup The 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup, also branded as England '99, was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted primarily by England, with selected matches also played in Wales, ...

, ''Biwi No.1'' emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, grossing 52.80 crore worldwide. It ranked as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, only behind the family drama '' Hum Saath-Saath Hain'', which also starred Salman, Karisma, Tabu, and Saif.

Accolades

References

External links

*
''Biwi No. 1''
on Gomolo.in {{David Dhawan 1999 films Films scored by Anu Malik Hindi remakes of Tamil films Indian comedy-drama films Films directed by David Dhawan 1990s Hindi-language films 1990s Indian films Films distributed by Yash Raj Films 1999 comedy films Hindi-language comedy films Films shot in Mauritius