Fiza

2000 film directed by Khalid Mohammed

Fiza

Poster

Directed by| Khalid Mohammed
Written by| Khalid Mohammed
Javed Siddiqui
Produced by| Pradeep Guha
Starring| Karisma Kapoor
Jaya Bachchan
Hrithik Roshan
Narrated by| Karisma Kapoor
Cinematography| Santosh Sivan
Edited by| A. Sreekar Prasad
Music by| Songs:
Anu Malik
Guest Composers:
A. R. Rahman
Ranjit Barot
Score:
Ranjit Barot

Production
companies

The Culture Company
UTV Motion Pictures

Release date

* 8 September 2000 (2000-09-08)

Running time

| 171 minutes
Country| India
Language| Hindi
Budget| ₹55 million[1]
Box office| ₹322 million[1]

Fiza, also known as Fiza: In Search Of Her Brother, is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film written and directed by Khalid Mohammed. It stars Karisma Kapoor as the eponymous lead,[2] along with Hrithik Roshan as her terrorist brother and Jaya Bachchan as their mother.[3][4] The film was produced by Pradeep Guha on a budget of ₹55 million and had a theatrical release worldwide on 8 September 2000.[5]

Upon release, Fiza received positive reviews, with its storyline and soundtrack, as well as cast performances earning praise.[6] A box office success, the film earned ₹322 million (US$7.17 million) worldwide.[1][7] Fiza received seven nominations at the 46th Filmfare Awards and won Best Actress for Kapoor and Best Supporting Actress for Bachchan.

## Plot

[edit]

Fiza's (Karisma Kapoor) brother, Amaan (Hrithik Roshan), disappears during the 1993 Bombay riots. Fiza and her mother Nishatbi (Jaya Bachchan) desperately hold on to the hope that one day he will return. However, in 1999, six years after his disappearance, Fiza, fed up of living with uncertainty, resolves to search for her brother. Fiza decides to use whatever means she can—the law, media, and even politicians—to find her brother, which brings her into contact with various characters and situations.

When she does find him, to her horror she sees that he has joined a terrorist group. She forces him to come home, and he finally reunites with their mother. However, his allegiance and thoughts make him want to return to the terrorist network, led by Murad Khan (Manoj Bajpayee). A confrontation with two men who harass Fiza leads Amaan to reveal his involvement with the terrorist network to his sister, mother, and the police. His mother's grief and disappointment eventually led her to commit suicide.

Fiza tries once more to find her brother, with the help of Anirudh Roy (Bikram Saluja).

Amaan is sent on a mission to kill two powerful politicians; when he does succeed in assassinating them, his own terrorist group tries to kill him. He escapes, and Fiza follows him. They confront each other, and with the police closing in on him, Amaan asks Fiza to kill him. As a last resort to give him an honourable end, Fiza kills her brother.

## Cast

[edit]

* Karisma Kapoor as Fiza Ikramullah
* Jaya Bachchan as Nishatbi Ikramullah
* Hrithik Roshan as Amaan Ikramullah
* Shivaji Satyam as Kunal Sawant
* Shabana Raza as Shehnaz Sulaiman
* Asha Sachdev as Ulfat
* Bikram Saluja as Anirudh Roy
* Manoj Bajpai as Murad Khan
* Isha Koppikar as Gitanjali Malhotra
* Johnny Lever as Laughing Club Comic
* Sushmita Sen as Reshma (guest appearance)
* Savita Prabhune as Policewoman (cameo appearance)
* Jaya Bhattacharya as Job interviewer (cameo appearance)

## Production

[edit]

Khalid Mohammed originally wanted to have Ram Gopal Varma direct this movie when he finished the script and had Urmila Matondkar in mind for the central role of Fiza, which was eventually played by Kapoor. Although Kapoor plays Roshan's older sister in this film, he is 5 months older than her in real life. Originally, the role played by Roshan was supposed to be a minor one. But after his debut film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) became a blockbuster overnight, Mohammed panicked. He knew expectations were high because of Roshan, so he increased the length of his role. Many scenes like his workout, and an extra song were added to suit Roshan's new status of a superstar. Additionally, the film was set to be an artistic film. But Mohammed decided to commercialize the film due to pressure from the distributors. A dance number for Kapoor was added, in addition to the park scene with Johnny Lever.

## Reception and awards

[edit]

The film was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office.[8][9] Critics praised the lead performances. Kapoor in particular was applauded for her performance as a disillusioned sister.[10][11][12]

Vinayak Chakravorty from Hindustan Times gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "Fiza is more than just about Mohammed's foray into film-making. It is about Kapoor proving a point as an actress of some substance. It is about Roshan's establishing that he doesn't need maximum footage or glitz to impress. It is about the return after a hiatus of the ever-delightful Bachchan."[13] Mimmy Jain of The Indian Express, in a positive review, wrote, "Fiza is the kind of movie that every critic prays will never come his way. For a critic's job, after all, is to criticize. And Fiza offers little scope for criticism." She further noted Kapoor for delivering "a superbly flawless performance".[14] Sanjeev Bariana of The Tribune labelled the film "only a little above average", but was highly appreciative of the performances.[15] Suman Tarafdar of Filmfare gave a positive review of the film and Kapoor's acting,[16] and Chaya Unnikrishnan of Screen praised the performances and concluded that Fiza "does live upto the expectations".[17] Screen magazine's critic Chaya Unnikrishnan, while disappointed with the film's second half, described it as "a mature film" and commended the performances.[18] Dinesh Raheja of India Today praised the performances but concluded: "Fiza remains watchable for its captivatingly-captured sequences within a close-knit family. But, the big picture it wants to capture remains underdeveloped."[19]

In May 2010, Fiza was one of the 14 Hindi films selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center to be screened as part of a section called "Muslim Cultures of Bombay Cinema" which aims to "celebrate and explore the rich influence of Muslim cultural and social traditions on the cinema of Bombay to the present".[20][21]

Fiza was banned from screening in Malaysia.[22]

## Music

[edit]

Fiza

Soundtrack album by

Anu Malik, A. R. Rahman & Ranjit Barot

Released| July 2000[23]
Genre| Feature film soundtrack
Length| 48:35
Label| Tips Music Films
Producer| Anu Malik
Anu Malik chronology
| Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega
(2000)  | Fiza
(2000)  | Refugee
(2000)

|
|

A. R. Rahman chronology
| Kandukondain Kandukondain
(2000)  | Fiza
(2000)  | Rhythm
(2000)

|
|

Initially, A. R. Rahman was approached to compose the music for the film, but he declined citing date issues.[24] However he agreed to compose one song which became "Piya Haji Ali", while rest of the songs were composed by Anu Malik.[25] He later composed for the director's next, Tehzeeb (2003). For the background score of Fiza, Rahman suggested his associate Ranjit Barot. Barot composed the score. The album was one of the most popular soundtracks of the year.[26] It features popular songs like "Aaja Mahiya", "Aankh Milaoongi", "Tu Fiza Hai" and "Mehboob Mere". "Mehboob Mere" was performed by Sushmita Sen as an Item number. At the 46th Filmfare Awards, Malik received a Best Music Director nomination for the soundtrack of the film. for his work on this album. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 25,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was one of the highest-selling of the year.[27]

# | Song | Singer(s) | Composer | Lyricist

|
|
|
|

1  | "Aaja Mahiya"  | Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik | Anu Malik | Gulzar
2  | "Mehboob Mere"  | Sunidhi Chauhan, Karsan Sargathia  | Anu Malik | Tejpal Kaur
3  | "Tu Fiza Hai"  | Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, Prashant Samadhar  | Anu Malik | Gulzar
4  | "Gaya Gaya Dil"  | Sonu Nigam | Anu Malik | Sameer
5  | "Piya Haji Ali"  | A. R. Rahman, Kadar Ghulam Mushtafa, Murtaza Ghulam Mushtafa, Srinivas | A. R. Rahman | Shaukat Ali
6  | "Na Leke Jao"  | Jaspinder Narula | Anu Malik | Gulzar
7  | "Mere Watan: Amaan's Fury"  | Zubeen Garg | Ranjit Barot | Sameer
8  | "Aankh Milaoongi"  | Asha Bhosle | Anu Malik | Sameer

## Accolades

[edit]

Main article: List of accolades received by Fiza

The film received several accolades, including, four Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, two Filmfare Awards, two IIFA Awards, two Zee Cine Awards.[28][29]

## See also

[edit]

* Bollywood portal
* India portal
* Film portal

* List of highest-grossing Bollywood films

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Fiza - Movie". Box Office India. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
2. ^ "Fiza - Movie - Box Office India".
3. ^ Iqbal, Murtuza (25 June 2019). "Birthday Special: Top performances of Karisma Kapoor". EasternEye. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
4. ^ "Happy birthday Karisma Kapoor: Raja Babu to Fiza, 10 films which show how she carved a niche for herself in Bollywood". The Indian Express. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
5. ^ "Fiza - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
6. ^ "From Zubeidaa to Fiza, a look at Karisma Kapoor's iconic performances on her 44th birthday". Firstpost. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
7. ^ "Greatest Women Oriented Bollywood Movies – Skin, Hair, Weight Loss, Health, Beauty and Fitness Blog". entertainment.expertscolumn.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
8. ^ "Box Office 2000". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 October 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. ^ indiafm.com Archived 10 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ Rediff review. Rediff.com (7 September 2000). Retrieved on 2017-07-08.
12. ^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Glitz 'n' glamour. Tribuneindia.com (18 January 2001). Retrieved on 2017-07-08.
13. ^ Chakravorty, Vinayak. "Fiza". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
14. ^ Jain, Mimmy (16 September 2000). "Return to reality". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
15. ^ Bariana, Sanjeev (9 September 2000). ""Fiza" with a nip". The Tribune. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
16. ^ Tarafdar, Suman (2000). "Fiza". Filmfare. The Times Group. Indiatimes Movies. Archived from the original on 9 November 2001. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
17. ^ Unikrishnan, Chaya (29 September 2000). "Fiza: A promising start and a slow finish". Screen India. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
18. ^ Unnikrishnan, Chaya (29 September 2000). "Fiza: A promising start and a slow finish". Screen. Archived from the original on 20 February 2001. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
19. ^ Raheja, Dinesh (2000). "Fiza: In search of the bigger picture". India Today. Archived from the original on 22 February 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
20. ^ "Muslim Cultures of Bombay Cinema - Film Society of Lincoln Center". Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
21. ^ "The Week Ahead: May 16 — 22". The New York Times. 13 May 2010.
22. ^ "Malaysia bans Fiza". Hindustan Times. 2000. Archived from the original on 10 February 2001. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
23. ^ "Anu Malik - Fiza (In Search of Her Brother)". Discogs.
24. ^ "Khalid Mohammed | Outlook India Magazine". 5 February 2022.
25. ^ Fiza - All Songs - Download or Listen Free - JioSaavn, 8 September 2000, retrieved 13 April 2024
26. ^ boxofficeindia.com Archived 8 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
27. ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
28. ^ "46th Filmfare Awards 2001 Nominations". Indian Times. The Times Group. Archived from the original on 10 February 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
29. ^ "2nd IIFA Awards 2001 Winners". MSN. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 26 August 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Fiza at IMDb