Chori Chori Chupke Chupke

Raj and Priya, who come from well-to-do Indian families, meet at a wedding and fall in love. Soon after they marry, Priya becomes pregnant. Early in the pregnancy, Priya miscarries and becomes permanently infertile. On Dr. Balraj Chopra's advice, they decide to look for a surrogate mother to bear Raj's child and hide Priya's infertility from his conservative family. Since the process of artificial insemination could be revealed in the Indian media due to the family's renown and position in society, the couple agree that pregnancy should be achieved by means of sexual relations between Raj and the surrogate mother. Raj meets Madhubala "Madhu", a prostitute, who agrees to carry Raj's baby in exchange for money. After some much-needed behavioral grooming and a makeover, Madhu meets Priya—who is unaware of Madhu's background—and the three depart for Switzerland in order to carry out their plan secretly. Soon Madhu is pregnant with Raj's child, and he happily tells his family that Priya is expecting. Meanwhile, Raj's business partner Ajay Sharma begins to sexually harass Madhu and she decides to leave Switzerland, mistakenly believing that Raj told his friend that she is a prostitute. Eventually, Priya finds out about Madhu's past, but still believes that Madhu should carry their child and begs her to stay. When Madhu is at home by herself, Raj's friend assaults her but Raj arrives in time to save her. Overwhelmed by Raj's kindness, Madhu falls in love with him. Raj's family suddenly arrives in Switzerland. While Priya reaches for pregnancy-simulating pillows, the family meets the heavily pregnant Madhu who is introduced to them as a friend staying with them while her husband is travelling for business. Raj's grandfather Kailashnath and father Ranjit arrange a Godbharaai, a religious baby shower ceremony. They ask Raj, Priya, and Madhu to return with them to India, where the ritual must be held as formally required by tradition. The ceremony is very important so Priya sends Madhu as herself. An emotional Madhu becomes conflicted about giving up her child. Finding Madhu's room empty and the money dumped on the bed, a frantic Priya pursues her to the train station and slaps Madhu when she confesses that she loves Raj. By the time Raj arrives, Madhu has gone into premature labour. The doctor announces that either Madhu or the child can be saved, and Priya asks him to save Madhu. However, both mother and baby survive. Frustrated, Madhu gives the baby to Priya, who quickly settles into a hospital bed with "her" baby. Dr. Balraj Chopra lies to Raj's family that while Priya gave birth, Madhu's child was stillborn. When Madhu is ready to leave, she promises Raj that she will not go back to prostitution. When he takes her to the airport, he realizes that she loves him and kisses her forehead. Madhu leaves happily. == Cast ==

The cast is listed below: • Salman Khan as Raj Malhotra • Rani Mukerji as Priya Malhotra • Preity Zinta as Madhubala Singh "Madhu" • Farida Jalal as Asha Malhotra • Dalip Tahil as Ranjit Kumar Malhotra • Johnny Lever as Pappu Bhai • Amrish Puri as Kailashnath Malhotra • Prem Chopra as Dr. Balraj Chopra • Apara Mehta as a prostitute • Ruby Bhatia as a news reporter • Deepti Bhatnagar as a dancer in the song "Mehendi" • Adi Irani as Ajay Sharma ==Production==

Director duo Abbas–Mustan had almost completed Ajnabee by October 1999 when they declared Chori Chori Chupke Chupke as their next project. The three leads, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Preity Zinta, previously starred together in the romantic comedy Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000). Khan, Mukerji and Zinta were paid , , and for their roles, respectively (all sums unadjusted for inflation). Zinta was initially reluctant to play her role, as she was unsure she was suited to play a prostitute, but she eventually accepted it at the directors' persuasion. To prepare for it, she visited several bars and nightclubs in Mumbai's red-light areas to study the lingo and mannerisms of sex-workers. Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was made on a budget of . The film was edited by Hussain A. Burmawala, and Surendra Sodhi composed the background score. Initially, Shah Rukh Khan was offered the lead role as Raj Malhotra, who had previously worked in the directors' two films Baazigar, and Baadshah. However, he declined due to lack of dates, and then Salman Khan was approached and has accepted the offer. ==Themes and influence==

The film generated some controversy before and during its release for being one of the only Hindi-language films dealing with the taboo issue of surrogate childbirth in India, in addition to prostitution in India. Surrogacy in the film is not achieved through artificial insemination but sexual intercourse, and author Aditya Bharadwaj argued that the film draws an analogy between surrogacy and prostitution. Anindita Majumdar, author of the book Surrogacy (2018), wrote, "In popular Indian culture, surrogacy has come to be associated with the 2001 Hindi language film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke". According to author Daniel Grey, that Madhubala was a prostitute before becoming a surrogate "reinforces a stereotyped and erroneous popular association between the two roles that has contributed to considerable prejudice on the Subcontinent against women who act as surrogates". According to The Hindu, some of film's scenes were said to have been borrowed from Pretty Woman (1990) and the storyline inspired by Doosri Dulhan (1983). According to Krämer, the similarities between Pretty Woman and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke are limited to replicated scenes in "merely one plot strand among many", in an otherwise different story. Anupama Chopra of India Today described Zinta's character of Madhubala as hooker with a heart of gold, as did academic Lucia Krämer. Sociologist Steve Derné wrote in his book Globalization on the Ground: New Media and the Transformation of Culture, Class, and Gender in India that through the character of Madhubala, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke becomes one of the films which portray "excessively sexual, greedy women who are redeemed by being remade as consumers". Derné further credited the film with melding the stereotypical "heroine" and "vamp" roles of Hindi heroines in contrast to how they were portrayed in previous decades, describing Zinta as a "legitimate heroine" in the film. S. Banaji spoke of a "transformation in the 'moral' consciousness of the prostitute". Bhawana Somaaya, while critical of the film's "regular packaging of commercial clichés", commended it for the unique portrayal of the wife, played by Mukerji, who is the sole decision-maker in the family throughout the entire process of surrogacy. ==Soundtrack==

The soundtrack for Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was composed by Anu Malik and the lyrics were written by Sameer. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around two million units sold, the soundtrack became the sixth highest-selling music album of the year. ==Release==

, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta (l-r) at the audio release of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke in 2000 The film's initial release date of 22 December 2000 was delayed when producer Nazim Rizvi was arrested in December and film financier Bharat Shah was arrested in January; both were charged with receiving funding from Chhota Shakeel of the Mumbai underworld and pressuring leading Bollywood actors—specifically, Khan—to appear in the film and for the profits to be shared with Shakeel. Rizvi had reportedly been under telephone surveillance by the Mumbai Police for a number of months. In its ruling, the court ordered all profits from the film to go to the Maharashtra state government. Due to the controversy surrounding its delayed release—and the recurrent publicity around it—the film was expected to be a big success, with 325 prints sold before release. The director duo held a special screening of the film two days prior to its release for the senior brass of the Mumbai Police, to fulfill a promise made earlier in order to prove that no objectionable content appeared in the film, as could have been projected. Certified U (suitable for all age groups) by the Central Board of Film Certification, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke opened to a wide audience and emerged a commercial success and one of the highest-grossing films of 2001. Still, despite a strong opening, the film gradually lost public interest; it eventually grossed against its budget, with additional $1.4 million earned overseas, leaving its worldwide gross in 2001 at . Box Office India concluded the film's final commercial performance with the verdict "semi hit". == Reception ==

Critics praised the uniqueness of the film for dealing with the rarely-touched subject of surrogacy, but disliked the execution. Preity Zinta's performance, in what was seen as an unconventional role, was especially noted by a number of critics, with high praise for her portrayal of the gradual change her character goes through over the course of the story. Film critic Sukanya Verma, who was left with "mixed emotions" after seeing the film, noted Zinta's role as "the meatiest part of all", finding her transformation throughout the film "amazingly believable". Padmaraj Nair of Screen called Zinta the film's "real scene-stealer" for having delivered "a stunning performance". Vinayak Chakravorty of Hindustan Times hailed Zinta's "admirable zest" as the "trumpcard of the film". Dinesh Raheja of India Today credited Zinta with giving the film "its electric charge". Likewise, Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India noted Zinta for keeping "the adrenalin gushing" and wrote of "riveting moments" where she "shows flashes of a fine performance". Ziya Us Salam of The Hindu, though similarly fond of Zinta for putting "life into her character of Madhubala", found the actress less convincing in "mouthing the inanities used by the women of the street". M. Shamim, writing for the same publication, believed Zinta had "put her body and soul into the streetwalker's flaming-red dress". Several reviewers appreciated the film for its portrayal of the big family and its overall positive atmosphere, including Kazmi, who found it to be a "modern ode to the ancient Indian family" and admired its "overwhelming feel-goodness". ==Accolades==

Khan was named the Most Sensational Actor at the Bollywood Movie Awards. At the 47th Filmfare Awards, Zinta was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, the only nomination for the film. ==Legacy==

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke has often been associated with surrogacy in Indian popular culture. It was later screened at the 2005 Independent South Asian Film Festival and the 2012 Fiji Film Festival. Zinta's role has been noted as one of her notable works. In a column about Zinta, published in an August 2001 issue of Screen magazine, Roshmila Bhattacharya asserted, "If Chori Chori Chupke Chupke found a following in conventional circles, it's thanks to Preity’s handling of yet another 'brave' role". Published in the same year, a column analysing Zinta's career by Stardust found her to be "manifested [her]self most prominently ... in [the film]", adding, "Here was Preity essaying a character with tremendous scope for performance, but the scenes in which she excelled was when she did her bubbly act in the initial stages of the film". ==References==