Chandni | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Yash Chopra |
Written by | Story: Kamna Chandra Dialogue: Sagar Sarhadi |
Screenplay by | Umesh Kalbagh Arun Kaul Sagar Sarhadi |
Produced by | Yash Chopra T. Subbarami Reddy |
Starring | Sridevi Rishi Kapoor Vinod Khanna Waheeda Rehman |
Cinematography | Manmohan Singh |
Edited by | Keshav Naidu |
Music by | Shiv-Hari |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 179 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Box office | ₹27.2 crore (equivalent to ₹291 crore or US$35 million in 2023)[1] |
Chandni (Moonlight) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical drama film directed and co-produced by Yash Chopra from a story written by Kamna Chandra with a screenplay by Umesh Kalbagh, Arun Kaul, and Sagar Sarhadi. The film stars Sridevi in the title role of Chandni Mathur, a young effervescent woman torn between two suitors played by Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor. Waheeda Rehman, Anupam Kher, Sushma Seth, Mita Vashisht, and Manohar Singh feature in supporting roles.[2]
The eighties marked a professional setback in Chopra's career, After a series of failed action films, Chopra decided to return to his roots and make a romantic musical, a film with all the hallmarks of what has come to be known as the "Yash Chopra style" – heroine-oriented, romantic, emotional, depicting the lifestyle of the super-elite, with melodic music used in songs picturized in foreign locations. The film marked the first collaboration between Chopra and Sridevi; they would collaborate again for the path-breaking Lamhe (1991).
Chandni was theatrically released on 14 September 1989 by Yash Raj Films. The film emerged as a widespread critical and commercial success, ranking as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, with its soundtrack emerging as the best-selling album of the year as well as the decade, with more than 10 million copies sold. The massive success of the film and its soundtrack were instrumental in ending the era of violent action films in Indian Cinema and rejuvenating the romantic musical genre. The success of film further reinforced Sridevi's position as the top female star of the era. Over the years, Chandni is hailed as one of Chopra's finest films.[2][3][4]
At the 37th National Film Awards, Chandni won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. At the 35th Filmfare Awards, the film received 10 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Chopra), Best Actress (Sridevi), Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Supporting Actor (Khanna) and Best Supporting Actress (Rehman), and won Best Cinematography.