Ishq

<p>Ranjit Rai and Harbans Lal Saxena are wealthy businessmen who harbor a strong disdain for the poor. Ranjit’s son, Ajay, reconnects with his childhood friend Raja, a working-class mechanic, while Harbans’s daughter, Madhu, is close friends with Kajal, who also comes from a modest background. Hoping to unite their families, Ranjit and Harbans deceitfully obtain Ajay and Madhu’s signatures on a and send Ajay to meet Madhu at Harbans’s estate in . Kajal and Raja travel there as well, leading to Ajay falling in love with Kajal and Raja with Madhu. Upset by this development, the fathers attempt to bribe Raja and Kajal to step away from the relationships. When unsuccessful, they arrange to have them harmed. Once the children learn of this, they refuse to separate. The fathers then pretend to approve of the couples’ choices. During preparations for Raja and Madhu’s , Kajal is abducted. Raja rescues her, but their private interaction is secretly photographed. These images are later used to falsely suggest an intimate relationship between the two. During the engagement, the photos are presented, and Kajal’s uncle falsely testifies to their authenticity. Ajay and Madhu, convinced by the evidence, end their relationships with Kajal and Raja. Matters escalate when Ajay and Madhu believe that Kajal is pregnant with Raja’s child. They announce plans to marry each other. Kajal, overwhelmed, attempts suicide but is stopped by Raja. In an effort to demonstrate the deception, Raja stages a similar scenario by pretending to attack Madhu, prompting Ajay to comfort her—mirroring the original incident with Kajal. Raja is arrested, and Kajal pleads for his release. The fathers agree on the condition that Kajal and Raja permanently leave the country. During Ajay and Madhu’s wedding, Ajay’s uncle, Lambodar, presents photographs of Ajay comforting Madhu after the staged incident. He reveals that Raja recreated the earlier situation to expose the manipulation. Kajal’s uncle confesses that he was paid to lie. Ajay and Madhu reconcile with their partners and rush to stop Kajal and Raja, who are about to leave by ship. They arrive in time to reunite with them. The fathers, having witnessed the consequences of their actions, apologize and acknowledge their mistake, stating that their true wealth lies in their children. The four are reunited. Director initially planned in 1991 with and , but the project was shelved due to personal issues between the actors. later suggested and , but Kumar was not keen and instead made (1995). He revived in 1996 with Khan, , , and in the lead roles. declined the film as she did not wish to work opposite , while opted out due to scheduling conflicts. was signed for a role uniting the couples post-intermission but left due to creative differences; the character was later dropped. was Kumar’s first film without Madhuri Dixit and marked his second collaboration with after (1990), and his first with Devgn. It also remains the only film to star both and . for commenced in 1996, with shooting locations including and , . The soundtrack of was composed by , with lyrics by and . The album emerged as a commercial success, selling approximately 3 million units and becoming the sixth highest-selling Bollywood soundtrack of 1997. The song “Neend Churai Meri” later inspired the track “Maine Tujhko Dekha” in (2017), composed by Malik’s nephew . emerged as a commercial success at the box office. According to , the film earned a net collection of ₹24.93 crore in India, making it the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 1997, behind and . The worldwide gross amounted to approximately ₹45.61 crore. received mixed-to-positive reviews upon its release. , writing for , described the film as “a relentless assault on the senses,” yet acknowledged that “the director’s conviction in his patently absurd tale glues you to your seat, wide-eyed and grinning.”</p>