Chori Chori Chupke Chupke

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke is a 2001 released Indian movie directed by Abbas-Mustan. The film, a musical romantic drama, is a thrilling and emotional roller-coaster that delves into the complex realities of relationships, touching upon topics that were controversial at the time, notably surrogacy. The movie features the exciting star trio of Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Preity Zinta, giving stellar performances that tug at the audience’s heartstrings.

The film opens with Raj Malhotra (Salman Khan), the wealthy heir of a business dynasty, and Priya (Rani Mukerji), a well-to-do woman from a respectable household, falling head over heels in love with each other at first sight. Their romantic university encounter transforms into a blissful marital life, filled with dreams of a future featuring a perfect little family of their own.

Romance and melodrama take a turn when their fairy-tale love story hits a hurdle. They face a life-altering crisis when Priya is incapable of bearing children due to a horrific accident, which saddens the couple since they yearn for a child of their own. With their hopes dashed and desperate to avoid the societal stigma of childlessness, they are forced to seek unconventional methods to have a child.

This is where Preity Zinta enters the narrative as Madhu, a lively and vivacious woman who operates as a bar-dancer to earn a living. She is approached by the desperate couple to carry their child as a surrogate, thrusting her into a situation way out of her depth but not altogether without its benefits. The ethical and societal ramifications of this decision set the stage for the rest of the movie's gripping storyline.

Throughout the movie, the characters grapple with their emotions, morality, societal expectations, and the intricacies of their rapidly evolving relationships. It does more than just entertain, as it allows conversations about childbearing and surrogacy to be initiated in a society where such topics were considered taboo.

The plot soon thickens. The already complex premise of surrogacy becomes even more complicated when a web of deeply romantic emotions, confusions, and misunderstandings begins to form between the three main characters. To manage this, the couple cleverly devise a narrative chain of ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke,’ meaning Secretly and Stealthily in English, to prevent the outer world from peeping into their private lives, leading to more unexpected twists and turns.

The movie’s soundtrack, composed by Anu Malik, quickly became a crowd favorite. The melodious amalgamation of romantic, emotional and peppy tunes further amplified the narrative and exquisitely captured the essence of various situations in the movie, while the soul-stirring lyrics penned by Sameer added depth to these emotions.

Salman Khan, in his charismatic persona, brilliantly portrays the anguish, confusion, and moral conundrum that Raj Malhotra faces. Rani Mukerji, with her emotional depth and natural performance, infuses life into the character of Priya while Preity Zinta is resplendent as Madhu, displaying an impressive range of acting skills alternating between vivaciousness and vulnerability.

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, while embroiled in controversy during its release, broke barriers and challenged the traditional concepts of parenthood and surrogacy in Indian society. It is a film that prompts viewers to question societal norms and traditions, to look beyond what is considered 'normal' and question the parameters that define parenthood and familial love.

Despite the script treading a tight rope on a socially sensitive subject, the director-duo skillfully manages to maintain a sensibility in their narration, spark a thought, incite a tear, incite a laugh and are successful in making the audience understand and empathize with the characters' journey. These qualities make Chori Chori Chupke Chupke a compelling watch, especially for fans of the romantic drama genre, and a noteworthy addition to Indian Cinema.