2005 Indian film
Bewafaa (transl. Unfaithful) is a 2005 Indian musical romantic drama film starring Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Sushmita Sen, Shamita Shetty and Kabir Bedi. The film is directed by Dharmesh Darshan, produced by Boney Kapoor and the music was composed by Nadeem-Shravan.[1]
Plot
Anjali (Kareena Kapoor) is the younger daughter of her Canadian-born mother and Indian father, living in Montreal, Quebec. She shares a healthy relationship with her parents and an equally loving bond with her elder sister, Aarti (Sushmita Sen). Anjali develops an attraction toward a budding musician named Raja (Akshay Kumar) Their friendship soon turns to love but Anjali keeps the relationship a secret from her parents, since Raja is not stable in his career and future as yet. Aarti assures Anjali and Raja that she will convince their parents of their true love.
Aarti is married to Aditya Sahani (Anil Kapoor) and the couple is soon to be expecting twins. Complications arise during the pregnancy and Aarti dies while giving birth to twin girls. While in mourning, and still unaware of her relationship with Raja, Anjali's parents suggest that she marry Aditya. Although she cannot bear the thought of being with anyone other than Raja, Anjali sacrifices her love for the sake of her sister's children, marries Aditya and moves with her new family to New Delhi.
Aditya, still mourning the loss of Aarti, is a business tycoon who hardly finds any time for his sister-in-law-turned wife or his two young daughters. Anjali fulfills the role of mother and wife, but cannot bridge the gap between herself and Aditya. She finds herself in a marriage that has no compatibility but only compromises. She stays in the passionless union for the sake of her nieces, whom she now considers her own.
Amidst all this, one day Raja, who has since become a famous fusion singer, walks back into her life. Anjali feels torn but starts spending time with him. Raja seeks to rekindle their relationship properly but Anjali cannot forget her husband and her children. Aditya returns from a business trip and he senses a change in Anjali, which he decides to look into by seeking the help of his friends, a flamboyant couple – Dil and Pallavi Arora. He learns the truth about Raja and Anjali's past and gives Anjali the freedom to choose between Raja and himself. Anjali ultimately chooses Aditya over Raja, not only because of her duty as a mother but also because she realises that she has come to love Aditya. Raja is heartbroken but he finally has closure, and he leaves to embark on a world tour.
Production
Filming
Bewafaa was the first ever movie to be shot in Delhi Metro in November 2003.[3][4]
Soundtrack
The Soundtrack of Bewafaa was composed by Nadeem-Shravan and the lyrics for the songs were penned by Sameer. Singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, Ghulam Ali, Abhijeet, Shaan and Sapna Mukherjee lent their voices for the album. There are 8 songs in the album. The recording of the songs started in 2003 and were completed by mid 2004 as said by the composers in a 2004 interview. The song "Ek Dilruba" was recorded in three versions by the composers each representing different situations and different moods in the film. The soundtrack was released in December 2004. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 25,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's second highest-selling.[5][6]
Critical reception
Marc Savlon of The Austin Chronicle gave the film 2 stars out of 5, writing ″The politics of adultery are a hot topic in every culture, but Bewafaa glosses over the most emotionally resonant echoes in favor of rafts of insanely uncatchy songs and a surreal sidestepping of the meat of the story: the cultural conventions that require Anjali to marry her late sister’s husband, an ultra-reserved businessman who sees the shade of his dead wife wherever he looks. It’s like Britney Spears marrying Wally Shawn. Come to think of it, there’s a movie in there somewhere. Just not this one.″[7] Anupama Chopra of India Today called the film ″outdated″ and ″old-fashioned in the worst sense of the word.″[8] Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave a negative review, writing ″Dharmesh Darshan might have a good box-office record, but he has never been a decent director. Here, however, he's made some pure tripe.″[2]
