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''Main Hoon Na'' () is a 2004
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 masala film directed by
Farah Khan Farah Khan Kunder (; born 9 January 1965) is an Indian film director, writer, film producer, actress, dancer and choreographer who works predominantly in Hindi films. Khan has choreographed more than a hundred songs in over 80 films, winning th ...
and produced by Gauri Khan and Ratan Jain under the banners Red Chillies Entertainment and Venus Movies. The film, which marks Farah Khan's directorial debut, stars
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
,
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, ...
, Suniel Shetty, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan, alongside Kirron Kher,
Murali Sharma Murali Sharma (born 9 August 1972) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu language, Telugu and Hindi films. Sharma has starred in over 130 feature films including Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil language, Tamil, Marathi lang ...
, Kabir Bedi, Boman Irani, and
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...
. In the film,
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
Ram Prasad Sharma is sent on a covert mission to pose as a college student and protect the
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
's daughter from a dangerous rogue soldier and reunite with his father’s long lost family. 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 West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. The film is also the first production of Red Chillies Entertainment. ''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.'' 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 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 ...
). A snippet of "Lament" from Light of Aiden (Celtic Version) is used throughout the film.


Plot

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 Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
soldier discharged for executing Pakistani citizens in revenge for his son's death, runs a militant group with a former comrade,
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Khan, where he sets against peace between the two rival countries. During a
press conference A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...
, Raghavan attempts to shoot
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Amarjeet Bakshi, but
Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
Shekhar Sharma takes the bullet for him. On his deathbed, Shekhar informs his son,
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
Ram Prasad, that his wife and Ram's stepmother, Madhu, and their son and Ram's stepbrother, Lakshman Prasad, who is also known as Lucky, had abandoned him 20 years ago since Shekhar had cheated on Madhu with Ram's late biological mother. Shekhar requests Ram to reconcile with his estranged family and that his ashes will be immersed by both his sons, stating that he can finally be at peace only if his family forgives him. Meanwhile, General Bakshi sends Ram on a
undercover operation A covert operation or undercover operation is a military or police operation involving a covert agent or troops acting under an assumed cover to conceal the identity of the party responsible. US law Under US law, the Central Intelligence Ag ...
to protect his estranged daughter, Sanjana, who is studying at St. Paul's College in
Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
. Ram reluctantly accepts when Bakshi informs him that Lucky is also studying in the same college. Bakshi convinces Ram to enter the college as a student than as a teacher, in order to better watch over Sanjana. Upon arriving, Ram struggles with adjusting to college life as he is much older than all the students, including some professors. Ram encounters Sanjana and her crush, but both do not want to be near him due to his age. A college student helps Ram hack the college computer to find out Lucky's identity, only to learn that Lucky is actually Sanjana's crush. During a race to capture the college flag from the roof, Lucky ends up hanging off the roof of the university, but Ram heroically saves his life. As a result, both Lucky and Sanjana agree to befriend Ram, who soon moves in with Lucky and Madhu as well. Outside a theatre, Ram saves one of his classmates, Percy, from an attempted murder by Khan, and captures Khan in the process. However, Ram's own identity is discovered by Raghavan, who then arrives at the university masquerading as the new
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
professor after his gang kidnaps Madhav Rasai, a physics professor, and threatens him to resign and recommend Raghavan as "Professor Raghav Dutta" in his place. Ram also brings Madhu and Lakshman closer by helping them bond during his stay there. Meanwhile, Ram falls in love with his
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
professor, Chandni, while Lucky also falls in love with Sanjana after Ram and Chandni give her a makeover. During a
prom A promenade dance or prom is a formal dance party for graduating high school students at the end of the school year. Students participating in the prom will typically vote for a ''prom king'' and ''prom queen''. Other students may be honored ...
, Ram thwarts Raghavan's gang from abducting Chandni. After meeting with Sanjana, Ram requests Raghavan to drop them both off with her father at her hostel, where Sanjana reconciles with her father. After that night, Sanjana and Chandni discover Ram's true identity as an army officer. At the same time, Raghavan learns about Ram and Lucky's relationship and reveals Ram's true identity to Lucky and Madhu. On being confronted by Lucky and Madhu, Ram breaks the news of Shekhar's death and informs them that Shekhar's last wish was that they reconcile. As they are unwilling to accept him yet, Ram leaves their home and the university, but his revelation shocks them. Later, Raghavan holds the whole university hostage and demands the cancellation of Project Milaap along with the return of Captain Khan and Ram as hostages in exchange for all the students' and teachers' lives. On being informed about this situation, Ram immediately returns to the university; along the way he encounters Madhu and apologizes to her for having concealed his true identity. At the university, Ram informs Khan that Raghavan is doing nothing for the country and is only carrying out a misplaced
feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
on the Pakistanis for killing his son, and offers an opportunity to Khan to do something for the country. Accompanying Khan, Ram enters the building and gets subsequently shot by Khan. Ram survives, and Khan informs him that his heart has changed regarding his allegiances and proceeds to kill the guards, thus freeing the students. Raghavan shoots Khan dead at point blank range for his betrayal. During a prolonged combat between Ram and Raghavan, Ram finally kills Raghavan by removing the
safety pin A safety pin is a variation of the regular Pin (device), pin which includes a simple Spring (device), spring mechanism and a clasp. The clasp forms a closed loop to properly fasten the pin to whatever it is applied to and covers the end of the p ...
from the latter's hand grenade. Lucky helps Ram escape from the ensuing explosion from aboard a
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
and the two happily embrace each other as brothers. Project Milaap is a success and all the prisoners are exchanged triumphantly. Ram and Lucky immerse Shekhar's ashes together with Madhu tearfully looking on. In the end, Lucky and Ram finally graduate, and the entire university rejoices.


Cast

*
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
as
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
Ram Prasad Sharma * Suniel Shetty as Raghavan Dutta (an ex-army Major) *
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, ...
as Chandini Chopra (Ram, Sanjana, and Lucky's chemistry professor and Ram’s love interest) * Amrita Rao as Sanjana Bakshi, General Amarjeet's daughter * Zayed Khan as Laxman Prasad “Lucky” Sharma, Ram's half-brother and Sanju’s love interest * Boman Irani as Yogendra "Yogi" Agarwal, college principal * Kirron Kher as Madhu Sharma, Ram's stepmother and Lucky's mother * Bindu as Mrs. Sonali Kakkar *
Murali Sharma Murali Sharma (born 9 August 1972) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu language, Telugu and Hindi films. Sharma has starred in over 130 feature films including Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil language, Tamil, Marathi lang ...
as Captain Khan, an ex-army Captain and Raghavan's second-in-command * Kunal Kumar as Baman Shastri, Ram's friend * Kabir Bedi as
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Amarjeet Bakshi, Sanju's father and Ram's superior officer *
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...
as Brig. Shekhar Prasad Sharma, Ram and Lucky's father (special appearance) * Satish Shah as Prof. Madhav Rasai * Rakhi Sawant as Mini *Praveen Sirohi as Vivek *Rajiv Panjabi as Percy * Nassar Abdullah as Rajat Saxena, Project Milaap's TV host * Tabu as Aparna (uncredited cameo appearance) *
Geeta Kapoor Geeta Kapur (born 5 July 1973) is an Indian choreographer and television personality. She recently judged '' India's Best Dancer'', a dance reality show on Sony TV, along with actress Sonali Bendre and choreographer Terence Lewis. Career K ...
as girl dancing in the song "Gori Gori" (cameo appearance) * Sajid Khan as band member in the song "Gori Gori" (cameo appearance)


Production


Development

Development for the film had begun in 2001. Filming was scheduled to begin in October 2001, but later that year,
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
had injured himself while shooting for '' Shakti: The Power'' (2002), and had to be treated in the UK, leading to the film being shelved.
Farah Khan Farah Khan Kunder (; born 9 January 1965) is an Indian film director, writer, film producer, actress, dancer and choreographer who works predominantly in Hindi films. Khan has choreographed more than a hundred songs in over 80 films, winning th ...
revived the film in 2003 following Khan's recovery. Farah initially titled the film as ''The Outsider'' but changed it upon the suggestion of her friends. Khan was unhappy with the film's title at that time, believing it was too short, but changed his mind upon listening to the film's title song.


Casting

Upon the film's revival in 2003,
Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
, Farhan Akhtar and
Sohail Khan Sohail Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 20 December 1969) is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Hindi cinema. He is the younger brother of actors Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan. He has an elder sister, Alvira Khan Agnihotri. He produ ...
were all offered to play the role of Lucky. None of the three accepted due to unknown reasons, leading to Zayed Khan getting cast. Ameesha Patel was offered the role of Sanju, but declined due to date issues, as did newcomer Ayesha Takia, after which Amrita Rao was cast. Shah Rukh Khan asked Farah Khan to approach
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
, suggesting that Haasan owed him a favor for his role in '' Hey Ram''. Haasan read the script, but turned down the role citing that it would portray him as an anti-national.


Soundtrack

The film's music was 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 ...
, with lyrics written by
Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civili ...
. The soundtrack earned Malik his second
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director The Filmfare Award for Best Music Director is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to the best composer/arranger of a soundtrack. This category was first presented in 1954. Naushad Ali was th ...
. According to the Indian trade website ''
Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...
'', 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 The MTV Immies are held every year with an aim to award the best talents in the Indian music industry. In 2005 The Immies supported relief for the quake victims of India and Pakistan. Also, proceeds from donor passes were given to the Prime M ...
Best Male Playback Singer Award.


Track listing


Reception

''Main Hoon Na'' received positive reviews from critics.


Critical reception

'' Taran Adarsh'' of ''
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
'' wrote "''Main Hoon Na'' reinforces your faith in Bollywood commercial cinema. The film is a wholesome entertainer that has something for everyone." Jamie Russell of ''
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'' wrote "A bonkers 'masala' movie, Main Hoon Na could be the mutant offspring of '' Grease'' and ''
The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
''. Part-thriller, part high-school comedy and all Bollywood musical, it's the directorial debut of Farah Khan." Siddharth Patankar of
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
termed the movie as "an out and out entertainer. Masala, romance, family drama, and some good old fashioned dhishoom dhishoom," and was positive of the performances.


Box office

''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). It made in India and an additional in the overseas market.


Awards and nominations


Remake

The film was remade in
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 ...
as '' Aegan'' and was released on 27 October 2008.


Sequel

A sequel titled ''Main Bhi Hoon Na'' is currently in development.


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control Red Chillies Entertainment films 2004 films Films about terrorism in India Films directed by Farah Khan 2000s Hindi-language films Films about hostage taking Indian Army in films Indian coming-of-age films India–Pakistan relations in popular culture 2000s masala films Indian teen comedy films Films set in Darjeeling Films scored by Anu Malik Hindi films remade in other languages 2004 directorial debut films