Underplayed Gems

Paheli (2005)

Paheli poster
Original title
पहेली
Directed by
Amol Palekar
Genre
fantasy film, romantic comedy, romance film, ghost film
Country
India
Runtime
2h 20m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
6.1 of 10 from 104 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like this

How it feels

A woman's husband leaves for a business trip, and a ghost who loves her takes his form and moves in with her. The film is a fantasy romance set in rural Rajasthan.

whimsicalromanticgentlefolksydreamylightheartedplayfulvisually warm

What happens

Paheli (translation: Riddle) is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Gauri Khan. The film tells the story of a wife (Rani Mukerji) whose husband (Shah Rukh Khan) goes on a business trip and is visited by a ghost, disguised as her husband, who is in love with her and takes her husband's place. The supporting cast includes Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla and Suniel Shetty. Based on the Rajasthani short story "Duvidha" by Vijayadan Detha. Paheli opened at the 9th Zimbabwe International Film Festival at the Libertie Cinema Complex in Harare. It was also screened at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The working title of the movie was Ghost Ka Dost (translates to Friend of a Ghost ). Paheli was India's official entry to the 79th Academy Awards. Paheli was released on 24 June 2005, and proved to be a moderate commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹32 crore worldwide. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its production design, cinematography, costumes, and special effects; however, its story and screenplay received criticism. At the 51st Filmfare Awards, Paheli received 2 nominations – Best Lyricist (Gulzar for "Dheere Jalna") and Best Male Playback Singer (Sonu Nigam for "Dheere Jalna"). At the 53rd National Film Awards, the film won Best Female Playback Singer (Shreya Ghoshal for "Dheere Jalna"). Detha's story, which had earlier been adapted into the 1973 film by Mani Kaul, and the 1997 Kannada film Nagamandala by T. S. Nagabharana (based on a play of the same name by Girish Karnad, the 1997 film also reportedly inspired Paheli), are folkloric in origin. Though Paheli diverges from its source material and the earlier adaptations in giving the plot and its lead female character a more feminist agency. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.