5 min readNew DelhiAug 5, 2023 07:58 AM IST
Sooraj Barjatya’s 1994 film Hum Aapke Hain Koun was called a gamechanger in the Hindi film industry when it released. When video piracy seemed like a legitimate threat to the theatre business, Hum Aapke Hain Koun was credited as the film that brought the audience back in large numbers to the cinemas. The film’s 14 songs, which made it look like an extended wedding video, were loved and the film became an inspiration for many filmmakers who came after Sooraj. Even today, when someone talks about ‘family entertainment’ in movies, Barjatya’s style of filmmaking that he presented here is often remembered as the benchmark. Karan Johar, who is currently riding high on the success of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, has often spoken about Sooraj setting the template for family entertainers in Bollywood. But, did you know that HAHK was actually not an original story by the director?
In fact, just 12 years before Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Rajshri Productions had already made the exact same movie with the title Nadiya Ke Paar. Directed by Govind Moonis and starring Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sadhna Singh, the 1982 film was the story of a family where the love story of the two leads kicks in after their siblings get married to each other. Much like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, there are no villains here who ruin the family’s plans but circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control. The essence of Nadiya Ke Paar carries throughout the film where everyone loves everybody and genuinely cares for their loved ones. Of course, it doesn’t have as many songs but it has its fair share of the musical numbers that are sprinkled throughout the story. Watching Nadiya Ke Paar now is like a less over-the-top version of HAHK that isn’t as overwhelming.
Nadiya Ke Paar is based on a story by Keshav Prasad Mishra titled Kohbar Ki Shart, and the film was also written by Mishra. Made on a modest budget of just Rs 18 lakh, the film was a big hit for the Rajshris at a time when they had witnessed a string of flops at the box office. Sachin, in an interview on Rajshri’s YouTube channel, said that the film ran successfully for over 136 weeks and was the biggest hit of his career. He also shared that the makers only chose to adapt the first half of the book which focused on the family’s good times. It was the success of this film, and its values centered around familial bonding that perhaps attracted Sooraj to make an updated version of the story in the early 1990s.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun’s story beats are just the same as Nadiya Ke Paar.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun does not deviate much from Nadiya Ke Paar. The characters have similar conflicts, land up in similar situations and even sing songs at the same plot points. So much so that even the way the Renuka Shahane character does in Sooraj’s film is exactly how Roopa dies in Nadiya Ke Paar. The only significant difference between the two stories is the presence of Tuffy, the pet dog who becomes the instrument of divine intervention in the climax of Sooraj’s film.
But, the thing that is perhaps the biggest difference between the two films is the way they both highlight togetherness in a family. Nadiya Ke Paar is set in a village and it moves on with the assumption that the folks here know only one way to be a family, to live together. More than love, it is the duty of every family member to care for each other. But, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, highlights their togetherness over and over again and presents the idea of a joint family as a fun picnic, almost as if the makers are trying to make you buy into the concept. Here, more than the duty, it is their love that keeps them together. And that distinction was the key in updating Nadiya Ke Paar.
Familial dramas have been at the centre of Hindi cinema for decades now and even in 2023, with a film like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, they have a place in the audience’s hearts. The stories are now updated, but the essence of keeping those familial values intact, is still the backbone of Hindi movies. So even though Sooraj ended up making the same movie that his father produced in the 1980s, he was just following tradition that is still being followed.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun’s story beats are just the same as Nadiya Ke Paar.
The 1982 film Nadiya Ke Paar became the inspiration for Hum Aapke Hain Koun.