Chameli Ki Shaadi


Chameli Ki Shaadi is a 1986 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee, starring Anil Kapoor, Amrita Singh, Om Prakash, Amjad Khan, Pankaj Kapoor, Annu Kapoor and Bharati Achrekar. The story follows Charan and Chameli, who love each other, fighting their families' opposition on account of belonging to different castes. Prominent themes include casteism, feminism and love.
The film had its release on February 21, 1986 and became a box-office hit, grossing against a production budget of. It has since gained a cult following.

Plot

Charandas aka Charan, a fledgling wrestler under the tutelage of Mastram, lives with his brother and sister-in-law. According to his brother, Bhajandas, Charan should marry and start a family of his own. But Charan is determined to become a wrestler and vows to remain a bachelor until the age of 40 as per the norms of Mastram. One day, however, when Charan's sister-in-law sends him to buy coal from Kallumal's coal depot, he meets Chameli, Kallumal's daughter, and starts having second thoughts about his vow. He realizes that to marry her, he may have to leave Mastram's akhada.
Charan does so and seeks help of advocate Harish, a close friend of his brother. Harish appreciates Charan's love and is ready to help him. Anita, Chameli's best friend is also approving of their relationship. Charan confess his love to Chameli and the couple starts to meet secretly. One day, however, a relative of Chameli, who spots the duo in a restaurant, reveal their meeting to her parents.
Chameli's family make it clear that they won't allow inter-caste marriage. Chameli is kept under house arrest and her parents decide to have her marry one of their acquaintances. Chameli's mother, Champa also calls in the help of her rogue brother Chhadam Lal aka Chhadmi.
Charan learns of these developments. He frees Chameli from her house arrest and together they go to Harish's house. Chameli's parents proceed to the place where Charan and Chameli are going to get married. Meanwhile, Bhajandas also comes with his men to disrupt the marriage. However, both of the parties arrive late, as they are legally married now. They vent their ire on Harish, who, according to them, is responsible for corrupting the couple. Harish takes Kallumal aside and explains that if the marriage is permitted by him, he will garner votes from both of the castes in the upcoming election, that he had decided to participate in, and that his son-in-law is the leader of all the young people and also has support from the akhadas, therefore guaranteeing a win.
Convinced, Kallumal relents; similarly, Harish tells Bhajandas that Kallumal is sure to win the elections, and that if Bhajandas accepts the marriage, he will get special perks, like getting coal and cement at a subsidized rate from Kallumal. Bhajandas also relents. Charan and Chameli get blessings from both of their families.

Cast

Production

Pankaj Kapoor, who played Chameli's father is only four years older than Amrita Singh, who played Chameli.
It has been described as belonging to the genre of comedy film.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Kalyanji–Anandji and the lyrics were by Prakash Mehra and Anjaan.
SongSinger
"Peena Haraam Hai, Na Peelana Haraam Hai"Kishore Kumar, Alka Yagnik
"Chameli Ki Shaadi"Anil Kapoor
"Mohabbat Ke Dushman"Anwar
"Tu Jahan Bhi Chalega"Asha Bhosle
"Utar Aayi Akhade Mein"Asha Bhosle

Themes

Vandana Saini wrote that the film shows life in small-town India, and its inhabitants in a lighthearted manner. Similarly, Arushi Jain termed the film "light, despite presenting a commentary on an issue as serious as the caste system in India," pointing out how "Kallumal is not as much of an evil dad, his Charlie Chaplin-esque moustache makes him fun to watch." Despite its lightness, Devesh Sharma asserts that, "the film made a stand against casteism." Pointing out the scene where Harish tells Kallumal that having Charandas as son-in-law would help him politically, and Bhajandas that having a politician for a relative would help him have clout, Sulagana Biswas said that, "the film, like Harish, knows only naked self-interest can dilute India’s obsession with caste."
It has been called a feminist film by Prateeksha Ranaut, and Chameli has been called "a feminist heroine" by Sharma. Jain said that instead of being a damsel in distress, "she is feisty, lively, intelligent, takes her own decisions, acts upon them and never gives up, something you won’t expect from an 80s Bollywood heroine." Similarly, Amit Karn described her as "assertive, outspoken and headstrong." Biswas called her "unapologetic."
Amrita Singh said that the film made a stance against perfection, modernity and consumerism in love. She further remarked that the film shows that in love, one need courage more than maturity. She saw Charan breaking his vow of bachelorhood as freedom from bondage of love.

Reception

Chameli Ki Shaadi had its release on February 21, 1986. The film was a box-office hit, grossing against a production budget of.
In 2020, Sulagana Biswas of Telegraph India wrote, "decades before Bollywood discovered the feisty small-town girl in a slew of slice-of-life movies these past five or six years, there was Chameli," and that the film "has aged way better than the 1986's top grossers, the multi-starrer patriotic melodrama Karma or the revenge drama of a shape-shifting snake, Nagina." In 2023, Arushi Jain of The Indian Express wrote that the film "flows like a cartoon strip where almost every character is a crackpot. It's almost 36 years since Chameli Ki Shaadi released, and I never thought revisiting such a classic would be so much fun. The hilarious dialogues, enjoyable characters and, of course, Chameli kept me hooked."
Anil Kapoor's performance was praised. Biswas wrote that he "effortlessly gets inside the skin" of his character. Devesh Sharma said that he "was good."
Singh's performance was praised. Biswas called her "a revelation, getting the best lines in the film." Sharma termed her "pure gold." Jain said she played her role with "so much conviction."
Khan's performance was praised. Sharma wrote that he "got the best lines as the street smart lawyer who knows the weaknesses of people and uses his knowledge to get things done." Similarly, Biswas said that he got the "best lines in the film as wily lawyer and a master of manipulation."
It has since gained a cult following.