Kurbaan

<p>Avantika Ahuja, a professor based in the , returns to to care for her ailing father. There, she meets Ehsaan Khan, a university . They develop a close bond, fall in love, and eventually marry. When Avantika is offered a teaching position back in the United States, Ehsaan agrees to relocate with her. The couple settles in a quiet suburban neighborhood, largely populated by South Asian families. Avantika helps Ehsaan secure a teaching position in the same university, where he begins lecturing on “Islam and the Modern World.” Avantika befriends Salma, a neighbor who confides that she is being confined in her home by her husband, Hakil. Salma pleads with Avantika to contact Rehana, a . Avantika meets Rehana and her partner Riyaz, a Muslim American journalist. As they attempt to intervene on Salma’s behalf, Rehana prepares to leave for Iraq as part of a envoy. Shortly afterward, Avantika discovers she is pregnant. While walking near her home, she overhears a meeting where Bhaijaan, the neighborhood elder, is leading a discussion about a planned bombing of Rehana’s flight. Avantika also discovers Salma’s body. She is pursued by the group but escapes to her home, where she learns that Ehsaan is part of the terrorist cell. He reveals that he married her to obtain legal residency in the United States. Bhaijaan orders Ehsaan to kill Avantika, but he spares her life upon learning of her pregnancy. Ehsaan confines Avantika to their home and threatens harm to her father if she informs anyone. She manages to leave a warning Rehana, but the plane is bombed, killing all on board. Riyaz, devastated by Rehana’s death, discovers Avantika’s message and begins investigating. He enrolls in Ehsaan’s university course and gradually gains his trust. Aapa, Bhaijaan’s wife, explains the motivations behind their ideology to Avantika, and reveals Ehsaan’s past as a man radicalized after his family was killed in . Ehsaan and Hakil attempt to dispose of Salma’s body, attracting police attention. Ehsaan kills Hakil and the officers. Salma’s remains are recovered and disseminated through the . Ehsaan introduces Riyaz to Bhaijaan, who tests him with a staged scenario involving a firearm. Riyaz passes the test and is inducted into the group’s next plot to bomb subway stations in New York. Riyaz and Avantika collaborate to foil the plan. Though Riyaz schedules a meeting with the FBI, Bhaijaan discovers Salma’s identification and accelerates the mission. During the operation, Riyaz’s cover is blown. In the ensuing chaos, Bhaijaan is fatally shot. Before dying, he reveals that additional explosives are hidden in the women’s belongings, including Avantika’s. Ehsaan releases Riyaz and races to rescue Avantika. The FBI intervenes, retrieving the explosives from the women. Ehsaan kills Aapa and saves Avantika. Wounded while escaping the police, he reveals his real name—Khalid—and expresses his love before taking his own life. The cast has been listed below: In February 2008, and were confirmed as the leads of the film. Kapoor described her role as challenging and hinted that would also appear in the film. In December 2008, acquired distribution rights. According to director in an interview with , the story originated with producer . After D’Silva learned that Johar appreciated the concept, Johar asked him to direct it. D’Silva described the film as a complex story spanning from India to the United States, exploring in the contemporary world. He emphasized that the narrative centers around a female protagonist, Avantika Ahuja (Kapoor), a psychology lecturer in who returns to India to care for her father, meets Ehsaan Khan (Khan), and relocates with him to the U.S., where the storyline takes a darker turn. D’Silva clarified that the film was not based on the . When asked about the script’s similarities with the film (1999), Johar acknowledged thematic parallels relating to terrorism. According to D’Silva, the script integrates three major elements: a romance between Khan and Kapoor, a thriller component, and a social message. The working title of the film was initially , as revealed by in January 2009. In a separate interview, D’Silva described Khan’s character as an “urban, educated, liberal” Muslim in love with a Hindu woman. He noted a shift in Bollywood’s portrayal of Muslim characters, moving away from stereotypes such as the or the benevolent elder. Shanoo Sharma served as the casting director. played an character for the first time, working on dialect and costume details herself. Before was finalized, and were considered for the role. designed costumes for the characters. was approached for a role but declined due to personal reasons. According to Oberoi, convinced him he was the right choice for the role, citing his talent and past collaborations with Kapoor in (2004) and (2006). coordinated closely with D’Silva on costume concepts, taking into account shooting schedules and locations. For sequences, he researched local fashion and designed Kapoor’s costumes to reflect her university lecturer role, incorporating traditional and modern elements. Her outfits in Delhi featured full-sleeved V-neck tops, with Jaipuri work, scarves, and jewellery in earthy tones. In the U.S. sequences, Kapoor wore , jeans, and , and carried a pendant. Her wardrobe became darker in tone as the film’s plot intensified. Khan wore simple jeans and shirts in subdued colors, V-neck sweaters, and . In U.S. scenes, his costumes included long jackets and leather outfits for the terror plot segments. Facial hair was used to reflect a gritty aesthetic. ‘s character was styled in suit vests and washed pathani kurtas for a worn appearance. wore long tunics and shawls, contributing to her Afghan portrayal. ‘s wardrobe included dark-toned jeans, jackets, and sweaters from and . ’s character wore formal skirts and jackets. began in November 2008 in . A replica of a terrorist attack site was built, and a subway scene was filmed using a rented train. Cold weather conditions made shooting with challenging, and Kapoor fainted during one session. Additional scenes were filmed in and later in Delhi, including and , in early 2009. A romantic sequence between Khan and Kapoor was removed from the final cut at Kapoor’s request due to personal discomfort, despite being shot as part of the script. Khan returned to India in December 2008 for medical reasons. Attempts to shoot in the U.K. were canceled due to lack of permissions. Overcrowding issues led to certain wide shots in Delhi being recreated in Mumbai. New York scenes were filmed in May 2009. During the U.S. shoot, Dharma Productions was accused of not compensating some workers. In August 2009, the final schedule planned for was canceled due to a outbreak. Oberoi, whose role was pivotal, reportedly spent time refining his performance and appearance with D’Silva. Some scenes were rewritten during filming by Johar. The entire production and post-production wrapped in November 2009. The soundtrack for was composed by , with lyrics by and Irfan Siddiqui. The album was released by on 12 October 2009. The teaser trailer of was released with on 2 October 2009. The film was theatrically released on 20 November 2009. The (CBFC) granted the film an “A” (adults only) certificate due to its thematic focus on terrorism. Director Rensil D’Silva had requested a U/A certificate, but the CBFC upheld the “A” rating. The satellite rights were initially acquired by , followed by broadcasts on UTV Movies. In the following years, Star India obtained the rights. A mobile video game based on the film was developed and released by ASTPL, an Indian software company. was released across 1,250 screens in India on 20 November 2009. On its opening day, the film grossed approximately ₹40 million, with an average occupancy rate of 40%, below the expected 70%. The film earned an estimated ₹136 million over its opening weekend in India and ₹242 million worldwide. At the end of its first week, domestic earnings rose to ₹197 million, while global gross reached ₹348 million. The film’s final worldwide gross was approximately ₹429 million. Despite moderate business in urban centres such as , , , and , the film was ultimately declared a commercial failure by , in part due to its A (adults only) certificate, which limited its potential audience. In a year-end industry summary, included the film among high-budget releases that underperformed, with distribution head acknowledging 2009 as a challenging year for the Indian film industry. received generally positive reviews from critics in India and abroad. On the , it holds an approval rating of 100% based on four reviews, all of which are positive. Gaurav Malani of rated the film 3 out of 5, describing it as “an outcome of sensitive filmmaking,” while noting its thematic and structural similarities to ‘s (2009). of awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, commending its performances and calling it “the most powerful film to come out of the Hindi film industry in 2009, so far.” of gave the film 3 out of 5, describing it as “a compelling thriller that doesn’t shy away from touching prickly issues.” of also rated it 3 out of 5, praising D’Silva’s direction and Johar’s writing for addressing “contemporary conundrums” with clarity. of gave a score of 3.5 out of 5, crediting producer for venturing into serious themes. Anil Sinanan of awarded the film 3 out of 5, calling it “interesting, entertaining and solidly executed” for tackling sensitive issues in a commercial format. Ram Tarat of gave it 4 out of 5, calling it “a chilling yet appropriately tempered and charismatic antidote to your archetypal seasonal fare.” In contrast, described the film as lacking emotional depth despite its technical strengths, noting that while the cast performed well, the film “wears its hot-button topicality proudly, like a gleaming medal.” Prior to its release, faced legal challenges regarding its content. A public interest litigation was filed in the by Mohammed Ali, who alleged that the film’s songs ” ” and ” ” were offensive to the sentiments of the Muslim community. The court declined to grant a stay on the film’s release, stating that no prima facie case was made. In a separate case, a local court dismissed a private complaint which sought the deletion of a scene from the song “Rasiya” featuring and in semi-nude poses. The magistrate ruled that the depiction did not constitute obscenity under applicable law. The film’s promotional poster, which showed Khan and Kapoor with a bare back, also generated controversy. Members of the protested the imagery, claiming it was offensive to Hindu cultural values. Activists symbolically draped a over the poster in Mumbai. Kapoor defended the visual, stating that it reflected the film’s central themes of “love, passion, and violence” and was neither vulgar nor indecent. and its Australian partner Swish Films faced a lawsuit in the United States related to unpaid services during the film’s production in . According to documents filed in the , over 25 local vendors and numerous background actors were allegedly not compensated for their work, with total unpaid bills exceeding US$500,000. The plaintiffs sought a restraining order to prevent Dharma’s representatives from leaving the United States with the film footage. The production house eventually settled with some of the affected parties, paying full dues to a portion of the vendors, including the City of Philadelphia and Teamsters Local 107, while offering partial payments to others. Director expressed dissatisfaction with the unauthorized dubbing of a key English-language scene in which characters debate . The scene, featuring Saif Ali Khan, , and international actors, was originally filmed in English to retain authenticity. D’Silva claimed that had assured him that only a limited number of prints would include a Hindi dub for non-English speaking regions. However, the scene was ultimately dubbed into Hindi in over 500 prints. Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV justified the decision as necessary to ensure comprehension for audiences unfamiliar with English, particularly in regions where the language is less prevalent.</p>