Chand Bujh Gaya

Tusshar Mehta, a businessman, has arranged the marriage of his son Rahul to Meghna. However, Rahul is in love with Saveen, and Meghna steps away from the marriage when she learns of their love. Rahul and Saveen board the Sabarmati Express to meet her father Imran Jafri who lives in Ahmedabad. Before the couple reach their destination, the train is set on fire by a mob near Godhra Junction railway station. Escaping from the mob, they take refuge at the house of Payal, a journalist. The train burning sparks a communal riot. Differences emerge between Rahul and Saveen while they try to protect themselves from the riot, eventually succumbing to it. ==Cast==

Film writer and lyricist Faaiz Anwar co-produced the film, made in five months and with a budget of Rs. 1.75 crores. He stated that the story was "truth ... gathered through numerous newspapers". The film was the directorial debut of Sharique Minhaj, who was working as an equipment supplier for a television channel during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Chand Bujh Gaya marked the first collaboration between Faisal Khan and Minhaj. They would later come together for Chinar Daastaan-E-Ishq (2015). Mahesh Bhatt had warned Anwar, stating: "you have put your hands in dynamite, not fire". In a 2007 interview, Anwar called the film "an attempt to bring about a sense of understanding between Hindus and Muslims". Some scenes of the film were shot in Silvassa, the capital of the then union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. ==Certification controversy==

The producers had applied for a censor certificate in September 2003. The Examination Committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) initially refused to certify the film, fearing that certain visuals and dialogues in the film may have the "danger of inciting communal violence". One key objection made by the board was the likeness between the film's villain and Modi. The CBFC had also denied certificates to two documentaries based on the 2002 Gujarat riots: Rakesh Sharma's Final Solution and Rakesh Pimple's Aakrosh. The producers expressed their inability to make any further cuts to the film as that would "dilute the message of communal harmony" the film intended to portray. To this, the CBFC, in January 2004, finally refused to grant certification to the film in its existing form. Rakesh Sinha, a Tribunal member, stated: "There seems to be a sort of ideological prejudice in the making of the film"; he felt that it gave the impression that the "Chief Minister [was] engineering the riots". He added that one character in the film "not only looks like Modi, he talks and moves like him", and the film "deliberately" targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The producers refused to cast another actor for the role of the Chief Minister. ==Release==

Chand Bujh Gaya was released on 18 March 2005 with a U certificate, implying unrestricted public exhibition. However, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, banned the film within Gujarat. ==Soundtrack==

In its review of the film's soundtrack album, The Hindu noted that the title song "[caused] discomfort" but was appreciative of the three songs: "Chupke Chupke De Jaati Hai Pyaar Ka Paigaam Teri Yaadein", "Rehta Nahin Hai Chand Kabhi Chandni Se Dur", and "Zulf Meri Lehrai Re", calling them "pretty soft and romantic". It opined that from a child's perspective, the song "Yeh Apna Hindustan" "[did] sound good" and "Yaad Aaye woh Din" was a "mood melody". ==Reception==

Upon its release, Chand Bujh Gaya performed poorly at the box office. According to Box Office India, the film had a worldwide first-week collection of and a worldwide gross of approximately . ==References==