Taal (film)

Taal
Film poster
Directed bySubhash Ghai
Screenplay bySachin Bhowmick
Subhash Ghai
Dialogues byJaved Siddiqui
Story bySubhash Ghai
Produced bySubhash Ghai
StarringAnil Kapoor
Aishwarya Rai
Akshaye Khanna
Narrated byAkshaye Khanna
CinematographyKabir Lal
Edited bySubhash Ghai
Music byA. R. Rahman
Production
company
Distributed byMukta Arts
Tips Internationals
Release date
  • 13 August 1999 (1999-08-13)
Running time
181 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget15 crore[1]
Box office51.16 crore[1]

Taal (transl.Rhythm) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama co-written, edited, produced and directed by Subhash Ghai. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles, while Amrish Puri and Alok Nath feature in supporting roles.

Taal was released on 13 August 1999, coinciding with the Indian Independence Day weekend, and proved to be a major commercial success at the domestic and overseas box-office, becoming the first Indian film to reach the Top 20 on Variety's box-office list.[2][3]

At the 45th Filmfare Awards, Taal received 12 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Ghai) and Best Actress (Rai), and won 6 awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Kapoor), Best Music Director (Rahman) and Best Lyricist (Anand Bakshi for "Ishq Bina").

Plot

Tycoon Jagmohan Mehta arrives in Chamba, India for a long vacation with his extended family, including his son, Manav. He meets Mansi, the beautiful daughter of an impoverished folk singer, Tara Shankar Manhuja. As the owner of the Mehta & Mehta Group of Companies, Jagmohan is looking to invest in Chamba. Over time, Jagmohan and Tara Shankar become friendly with each other.

Eventually, Manav is besotted with Mansi and they keep meeting. One day while doing Yoga together Manav tells her that he is in love with her,and asks her if she is also in love. She denies and says they can't be together because of the difference in their status and that she won't meet him again. After running into each other once again and more encounters Mansi also falls in love with Manav. Jagmohan is against their relationship due to Mansi's poor socio-economic status. Tara Shankar is initially angry but later reaches Mumbai to visit his journalist cousin, Prabha, and to meet the Mehta family for a marriage alliance. Unfortunately, they insult Tara who has been waiting outside their house for 9 hours with Mansi. Instead of standing-up for Mansi, Manav who just arrives to the house takes his Father's side and insults Tara. Deeply hurt, Mansi leaves with her father, breaking up with Manav.

Mansi soon meets a famous music producer and director, Vikrant Kapoor while in Mumbai, who happens to be a huge fan of Tara's music. She starts working with him and performs dance numbers and remixes of his productions and Tara's songs. She begins to win awards and becomes a national sensation and celebrity. Slowly, Vikrant begins falling for Mansi. Meanwhile, Manav finds out that his family ill-treated Mansi and Tara.

Manav goes to Mumbai in the hopes of apologizing to Mansi for his family's behavior towards her and Tara. He tries to talk to Mansi who is doing a test shoot ,She tells Vikrant to reject him on her behalf and that she refuses to see him. He approaches her again in her tent ,Mansi is upset , Manav apologises and asks her to marry him , Mansi lets out her pain for how her father was treated saying that she doesn't want his apology but rather his father to apologise to her father, they get into a disagreement. Vikrants team happy with the shoot offer her a contract for three years and she signs it as he watches. Manav tells Mansi that he will wait for her to come back and that she will be his wife and leaves. Vikrant soon learns of Mansi's past with Manav. Ignoring it, he proposes to her. She eventually accepts it and they get engaged. After winning an award in Canada, Mansi returns to India to prepare for their wedding. Manav gets burned while saving Mansi's memories in his house. Jagmohan realises Manav's true love for Mansi and goes to Tara's House with the proposal for Mansi marrying Manav, Tara tells him that he was hurt by how he was treated and that it was too late now ,Mansi is engaged. Jagmohan and Tara eventually patch things up after the former realizes his mistake and apologizes.

On the wedding day, Vikrant realises Mansi still loves Manav. He assures her they can still be friends, and urges her to honor her love for Manav. Soon after, she runs to Manav and they reunite. Jagmohan and Tara give their blessings and apologize for separating them .The couple embrace accepting their love for each other. ; Manav and Mansi finally get married. The Mehtas take a family picture to celebrate the wedding.

Cast

Music

Taal
Soundtrack album by
Released12 June 1999 (Digital Release)
13 August 1999 (Film Release)
RecordedMehboob Studio
GenreSoundtrack
Length64:28
LabelTips Industries
ProducerA. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Padayappa
(1999)
Taal
(1999)
Jodi
(1999)
Soundtrack
Review scores
SourceRating
Planet BollywoodStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar link

The soundtrack of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. The soundtrack was released on 12 June 1999 and it became a major critical and commercial success.[4] At a press conference, Ghai remarked, "I credit the name of the movie to composer A. R. Rahman. This film is a romance and I could have called it any thing – Dil, Pyaar, Hum Bhaag Gaye, but it was Rahman's presence in the movie that gave me the confidence to call it Taal. Taal means music and music means Taal. The whole credit goes to A. R. Rahman and Anand Bakshi. Rahman kept me awake many nights, but after listening to the songs, I felt it was worth all the trouble."[5]

The soundtrack became a tremendous commercial success, and was sold more than 1.85 million units within a month of its release.[6] It went on to sell 4 million units, becoming the best-selling album of the year.[7] The soundtrack made the list of "Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time", as compiled by Planet Bollywood.[8]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Anand Bakshi; all music is composed by A. R. Rahman.

Taal (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Hindi[9]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Taal Se Taal" (Raag Bhairavi)Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan06:18
2."Ishq Bina"Anuradha Sriram, Sujatha Mohan, Sonu Nigam, A. R. Rahman07:45
3."Nahin Saamne Tu"Hariharan, Sukhwinder Singh06:03
4."Taal Se Taal Mila" (Western Version)Sukhwinder Singh02:34
5."Kahin Aag Lage Lag Jaaye"Asha Bhosle, Aditya Narayan, Richa Sharma07:15
6."Ramta Jogi"Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik06:17
7."Beat Of Passion"A.R.Rahman02:51
8."Ishq Bina Ishq Bina"Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sukhwinder Singh08:13
9."Kariye Na"Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik07:15
10."Ni Main Samajh Gayi"Richa Sharma, Sukhwinder Singh04:33
11."Kya Dekh Rahe Ho Tum"Madhu Vaishali, Shoma02:31
12."Raga Dance"A. R. Rahman02:53
Total length:64:28

Reception

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Taal emerged as a major commercial success in India, netting 23 crore in India on a budget of 11.50 crore, and also performed well internationally.[2] In the United States, it became the first Indian film to reach the top 20 on Variety's box-office list.[2] The final worldwide gross collection of the film stands at 51.16 crore, making it the third highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[3]

Taal was premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was screened as the "official selection" at the 2005 Ebertfest: Roger Ebert's Film Festival, and retrospectively at the 45th IFFI in the Celebrating Dance in Indian cinema section.[10][11]

Accolades

At the 45th Filmfare Awards, Taal received 12 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Ghai) and Best Actress (Rai, who won the award for her performance in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam), and won 6 awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Kapoor) and Best Music Director (Rahman).[12][13]

Award[a] Date of ceremony[b] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Bollywood Movie Awards[c] 8 June 2000 Best Film Taal Won [14]
Best Actress Aishwarya Rai Won
Most Sensational Actress Won
Best Actor (Critics) Anil Kapoor Won
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman Won
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Taal Se Taal" Won
Best Editing Subhash Ghai Won
Filmfare Awards 13 February 2000 Best Film Taal Nominated [15]
[16]
[17]
Best Director Subhash Ghai Nominated
Best Actress Aishwarya Rai Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Anil Kapoor Won
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman Won
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Ishq Bina" Won
Anand Bakshi for "Taal Se Taal" Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Sonu Nigam for "Ishq Bina" Nominated
Sukhwinder Singh for "Ramta Jogi" Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer Alka Yagnik for "Taal Se Taal" Won
Best Cinematography Kabir Lal Won
Best Sound Design Rakesh Ranjan Won
International Indian Film Academy Awards 24 June 2000 Best Film Taal Nominated [18]
[19]
[20]
Best Director Subhash Ghai Nominated
Best Actress Aishwarya Rai Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Anil Kapoor Won
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman Won
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Ishq Bina" Won
Best Male Playback Singer Sonu Nigam for "Ishq Bina" Nominated
Sukhwinder Singh for "Ramta Jogi" Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer Alka Yagnik for "Taal Se Taal" Won
Anuradha Sriram for "Ishq Bina" Nominated
Sunidhi Chauhan for "Kya Dekh Rahe Ho Tum" Nominated
Best Costume Design Neeta Lulla Won
Screen Awards 23 January 2000 Best Film Taal Nominated [21]
[22]
Best Director Subhash Ghai Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Anil Kapoor Won
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman Won
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Ramta Jogi" Nominated
Anand Bakshi for "Taal Se Taal" Won
Best Male Playback Singer Sonu Nigam for "Ishq Bina" Nominated
Sukhwinder Singh for "Ramta Jogi" Won
Best Female Playback Singer Alka Yagnik for "Taal Se Taal" Nominated
Asha Bhosle for "Kahin Aag Lage" Nominated
Best Costume Design Neeta Lulla Won
Zee Cine Awards 11 March 2000 Best Actor – Female Aishwarya Rai Nominated [23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
Lux Face of the Year[d] Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male Anil Kapoor Won
Best Performance in a Negative Role Amrish Puri Nominated
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman Won
Best Lyricist Anand Bakshi for "Ishq Bina" Won
Anand Bakshi for "Taal Se Taal" Nominated
Best Choreography Shiamak Davar for "Kahin Aag Lage" Nominated
Best Cinematography Kabir Lal Nominated
Best Art Direction Sharmishta Roy Nominated
Best Make Up Artist Kiran R. Naik Nominated
  1. ^ Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
  2. ^ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
  3. ^ as Zee Gold Bollywood Awards.
  4. ^ also for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Taal". boxofficeindia. BOI. Retrieved 5 April 2017. Worldwide Gross: 51,15,95,000
  2. ^ a b c Bist, Raju (12 November 2002). "Bollywood takes on the world". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2002. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Taal - Movie - Box Office India". www.boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Taal Music launch".
  5. ^ "Rediff on the NeT: Transcript of the Taal Music Launch Chat and Commentary". rediff.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2000. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Taal". Deccan Herald. 25 July 1999.
  7. ^ "Music Hits 1990-1999 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010.
  8. ^ "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever – Part 2 – Planet Bollywood Features". Planetbollywood.com. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  9. ^ Taal (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), archived from the original on 28 August 2021, retrieved 11 October 2022
  10. ^ [1] Archived 16 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Taal movie review & film summary (1999) | Roger Ebert".
  12. ^ "Aishwarya, Sanjay win Filmfare awards". The Tribune. 14 February 2000. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  13. ^ Gregory, Andy (2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Routledge. p. 420. ISBN 1-85743-161-8.
  14. ^ "US edition: Mixed bag at Zee Gold Bollywood Awards show". Rediff.com. 8 June 2000. Archived from the original on 31 August 2000. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  15. ^ IndiaFM News Bureau. "The 45th Filmfare Awards 2000 Nominations". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 19 November 2000. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  16. ^ IndiaFM News Bureau. "The 45th Filmfare Awards 2000 Winners". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 17 October 2000. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  17. ^ "The 45th Filmfare Awards 2000 Winners". Indian Times. The Times Group. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  18. ^ "The 1st IIFA Awards 2000 Nominations Polling". CatchUsLive.com. International Indian Film Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 20 June 2000. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  19. ^ "The 1st IIFA Awards 2000 Winners". International Indian Film Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  20. ^ "The 1st IIFA Awards ceremony". International Indian Film Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  21. ^ Express News Service (8 January 2000). "Sixth Annual Screen-Videocon Awards nominations". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  22. ^ "6th Annual Screen Awards – Nominees & Winners for the year 1999". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 18 January 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  23. ^ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Viewers Choice Awards Nominees & Winners". Zee Cine Awards. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  24. ^ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Popular Awards Nominees". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  25. ^ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Popular Awards Winners". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 19 June 2000. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  26. ^ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Technical Awards Nominees". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  27. ^ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Technical Awards Winners". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 17 August 2021.