With Nana Patekar’s films back in the conversation this week, fans are revisiting one of his beloved early Sanjay Leela Bhansali roles. Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) has only grown in reputation since its release. Here are eight things you didn’t know about it.
It beat a similar German film by four months
Khamoshi was released on 9 August 1996. The German film Beyond Silence has a similar narrative, but it arrived on 19 December 1996, more than four months later.
The story begins with a deaf couple in Goa
Joseph and Flavy Braganza are a deaf couple in Goa. Their daughter Annie can speak and hear, and her younger brother Sam also speaks and hears. Annie’s life is divided into two worlds: one with her parents, and one of music.
Music left with Annie’s brother
Annie gets her musical inspirations from her grandmother, Maria Braganza. After the tragic death of Sam, Annie’s life is shattered and music and singing fade away. When she grows up, she gets in touch with music again through Raj, whom she falls in love with.
Joseph’s condition splits the family
When Annie gets pregnant, her father tells her to abort the baby because it will dishonour the family. Annie refuses to go against her church and religion, so Joseph asks her to leave the house. Joseph dislikes Raj mainly because he is a Hindu who does not live in Goa.
The soundtrack topped the charts
The soundtrack was composed by Jatin–Lalit and Remo Fernandes, with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. It topped the music charts in India and was #97 on the list of “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time”.
Filmfare gave it five wins
At the 42nd Filmfare Awards, Khamoshi won Best Film (Critics), Best Actress (Critics), Best Female Playback Singer for “Aaj Main Upar”, Best Art Direction and Best Sound Design. It was also nominated for Best Film, Best Actor for Nana Patekar, Best Actress for Manisha Koirala, Best Supporting Actress for Helen, Best Supporting Actress for Seema Biswas, Best Music Director, Best Lyricist and Best Female Playback Singer for “Baahon Ke Darmiyaan”.
Star Screen honoured the women and the lyrics
At the Star Screen Awards, Manisha Koirala won Best Actress and Seema Biswas won Best Supporting Actress. Majrooh Sultanpuri won Best Lyricist for “Aaj Main Upar”, and Kavita Krishnamurthy won Best Female Playback Singer for the same song.
It remains ahead of its time
The film is considered ahead of its time and rated by many as best work of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In Filmfare magazine, Manisha Koirala’s performance in the film was included on its Top 80 Iconic Performances list. The film features several autobiographical references to the life of the director.
Which of these eight facts is your favourite Khamoshi memory?
Facts from Wikipedia: Khamoshi: The Musical, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.