Humraaz

<p>Karan Malhotra and Priya are the lead performers of a and are secretly in love. They both dream of marrying and living a luxurious Life. After being cheated out of a cruise performance opportunity by their rival, Jojo Fernandes, Karan confronts and kills him. The troupe is later selected to perform aboard a luxury owned by the wealthy businessman Raj Singhania. There Raj meets Priya, unaware that Karan is Priya’s boyfriend. Raj falls in love with her, and proposes marriage, unaware that both Priya and Karan are conspiring to acquire his wealth; Raj also befriends Karan. Eventually Priya and Raj marry, and Priya lies about her past and refuses to consumate for one month as suggested by Karan. Then, another dancer from the troupe, Harry, discovers the couple’s scheme and begins blackmailing Karan. It is revealed that Jojo’s death was deliberate. Karan murders Harry to protect the scheme, but before dying, Harry leaves a voicemail for Raj, exposing the truth. Meanwhile, Priya begins to develop genuine feelings for Raj, especially after he shows deep care following an accident. She decides not to proceed with the divorce, angering Karan. Seeking revenge, Karan manipulates Raj into believing that Priya still loves him and is conspiring to steal his money. Raj, now aware of the truth, confronts Karan and forces him to attempt to murder Priya, planning to catch him in the act. Simultaneously, Priya records a confession and switches the tape with a cassette in Raj’s car, asking him to call her if he forgives her. As Raj unknowingly delays hearing the tape, Karan attacks Priya when Raj calls their home. Upon hearing her screams, Raj rushes to save her. At the scene, it is revealed that Priya survived and Karan had killed another man to stage the attack. Karan then blackmails Raj with a recording of their prior meeting, demanding a divorce and a large alimony. Raj agrees to meet Karan at a specific location, and the two engage in a physical fight. Karan shoots Priya, but she survives and shoots him in return. Karan dies, and Raj and Priya are reunited. Before production began, was initially signed to play the female lead and was expected to make her film debut with . She reportedly shot for two days but was unable to continue due to a dispute, after which the role went to . and were initially considered to portray the negative lead in the film. However, things could not materialize, and the role was eventually played by . The soundtrack of was composed by , with lyrics by Sudhakar Sharma. According to , the album sold approximately 2.2 million units, making it the highest-selling Hindi film soundtrack of 2002. The song “Bardaasht Nahi Kar Sakta” was reused as “Nee Yaaro Nee Yaaro” in the Tamil remake (2005) and was the only track from the original soundtrack to be retained in the remake. was produced on a budget of approximately ₹15 crore, including print and advertising costs. In India, the film earned a net collection of ₹16.59 crore, with a gross of ₹23.04 crore. It collected an additional ₹2.53 crore from international markets, bringing its worldwide gross to approximately ₹25.57 crore. According to , the film achieved a total gross of ₹29.71 crore, with an estimated 9.1 million footfalls. The film was declared an “average” performer at the box office by trade analysts. of described as “a well-played Bollywood mystery-thriller that’s let down only by a lack of visual style,” adding that it “gets good character mileage from its star trio and fine performances from two of them ( , ).” of gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, noting, “On the whole, has a fresh cast, a riveting script, a grandiose look, and several thrilling moments to take you on a joyride for the next three hours. The film has all it takes to appeal to an avid cinegoer who’s thirsting for wholesome entertainment. Recommended!” Vivek Fernandes of remarked that The directors do take their time establishing the scheme of things, spoonfeeding the audience at times. Also, the experience would have been more riveting had the film been a little shorter. But such minor flaws, we shall let pass. , definitely, merits a .” A reviewer for commented, “Except that having watched a lot of Hitchcockian plots, one feels let down at the way our filmmakers end a good plot.” Chitra Mahesh of observed, “Though the end is filmy and long drawn out, the suspense is tangible.”</p>