About the Movie Pardes (1997)

The story begins with Kishorilal, played by Amrish Puri, a successful Indian businessman who has settled in the United States. Although he lives abroad, he remains emotionally connected to India and strongly values Indian culture and traditions.

Kishorilal wants his son Rajiv, played by Apurva Agnihotri, to marry a traditional Indian girl.

He travels to India and visits his old friend Suraj Dev, played by Alok Nath. Suraj Dev has a daughter named Kusum Ganga, played by Mahima Chaudhry.

Kishorilal is impressed by Ganga's traditional upbringing, simplicity and values. He believes that she would be an ideal wife for Rajiv.

To help arrange the marriage, Kishorilal sends his foster son Arjun Saagar, played by Shah Rukh Khan, to India.

Arjun meets Ganga and gradually develops a close friendship with her. He is impressed by her personality and strong attachment to Indian traditions.

Ganga also begins to trust Arjun.

Eventually, Ganga agrees to marry Rajiv and travels to America with Arjun and Rajiv.

However, life in America is very different from what Ganga expected.

Rajiv has adopted a highly Westernized lifestyle. He does not share Ganga's traditional values and does not understand the importance she places on family, culture and relationships.

Ganga becomes increasingly uncomfortable with Rajiv's behaviour.

Arjun, meanwhile, continues to support Ganga. He understands her feelings and helps her adjust to the unfamiliar environment.

The relationship between Ganga and Rajiv eventually reaches a breaking point. Ganga realizes that she cannot marry someone whose values are fundamentally different from hers.

She returns to India.

Arjun follows her and begins to recognize that his feelings for Ganga have gone beyond friendship.

However, there is a major obstacle: Ganga was originally chosen to become Rajiv's wife, and Arjun is Kishorilal's foster son.

Arjun struggles with his feelings because he does not want to betray the family that raised him.

The situation becomes increasingly complicated as Kishorilal discovers the growing bond between Arjun and Ganga.

The film's climax revolves around the conflict between family expectations, love and cultural values.

Arjun ultimately chooses to stand by Ganga and defend her dignity. The misunderstandings are resolved, and the story moves toward a happy resolution for the two lovers.

Main Cast

• Shah Rukh Khan — Arjun Saagar
• Mahima Chaudhry — Kusum Ganga
• Apurva Agnihotri — Rajiv
• Amrish Puri — Kishorilal
• Alok Nath — Suraj Dev
• Himani Shivpuri — Kulwanti
• Dina Pathak — Dadi Maa
• Padmavati Rao — Narmada
• Madhuri Bhatia — Neeta
• Smita Jaykar — Padma
• Pavan Malhotra — Sharafat Ali
• Aditya Narayan — Potla
• Prachi Save — Daksha

The principal cast and crew are documented by IMDb, Mukta Arts and BookMyShow.

Director & Production

Director: Subhash Ghai
Producer: Subhash Ghai
Production Banner: Mukta Arts
Story: Subhash Ghai
Screenplay: Subhash Ghai, Neeraj Pathak
Dialogues: Javed Siddiqui
Music: Nadeem–Shravan
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Cinematography: Kabir Lal
Editing: Renu Saluja
Language: Hindi
Genre: Drama, Romance, Musical
Runtime: Approximately 191 minutes

The film was shot across locations in India, the United States and Canada, including areas around Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Vancouver.

Music

The music of Pardes was composed by Nadeem–Shravan, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The soundtrack became one of the major attractions of the film and contributed significantly to its popularity.

Popular Songs

• Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain
• Meri Mehbooba
• Yeh Dil Deewana
• I Love My India
• Nahin Hona Tha
• Jahan Piya Wahan Main
• My First Day in U.S.A.
• Diwana Dil

The songs “Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain,� “Meri Mehbooba,� “Yeh Dil Deewana� and “I Love My India� became particularly associated with the film.

The soundtrack also earned major recognition at the Filmfare Awards, with Alka Yagnik winning Best Female Playback Singer for “Meri Mehbooba.�

Themes

Pardes explores:

• Love and romance
• Indian culture and traditions
• NRI life
• Westernisation
• Family values
• Cultural identity
• Marriage and relationships
• Tradition versus modernity
• Sacrifice
• Respect and dignity

The film's central theme is the importance of remaining connected to one's cultural values while living in a foreign environment.

Legacy

Pardes became a major commercial success and was among the highest-grossing Hindi films of 1997. It was particularly praised for its soundtrack and the performances of Shah Rukh Khan, Mahima Chaudhry and Apurva Agnihotri.

The film was also significant for introducing Mahima Chaudhry, who won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Pardes received multiple Filmfare nominations and won three awards, including Best Female Debut, Best Female Playback Singer and Best Screenplay.

The film remains especially popular among audiences interested in stories about Indian identity, NRI life and the contrast between Indian traditions and Western culture.